Pinch-hitter David Fry hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning and then bunted for an insurance run in the ninth, helping the Cleveland Guardians secure a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers and forcing a deciding Game 5 in their AL Division Series on Thursday night.
“David Fry is one of the best baseball players in this league,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt.
Cleveland ended a streak of 11 losses in postseason elimination games that went back to Game 6 of the 1997 World Series, thanks to Emmanuel Clase, who got five outs for his third multi-inning save of the year.
“It’s win or go home,” Vogt said. “You want your best pitchers out there as long as possible.”
AL Cy Young Award candidate Tarik Skubal will start Game 5 for the Tigers on Saturday night in Cleveland.
“It’s always comforting to have Tarik Skubal on the mound,” said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch.
The winner will advance to the AL Championship Series against the Yankees in New York starting Monday.
“We’re still one win away,” said Detroit first baseman Spencer Torkelson. “That’s the mindset. We don’t want it easy. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”
Fry mentioned that the Guardians’ determination was expected.
“We’ve shown that all year long; that’s who these guys are,” he said. “We have a bunch of tough dudes. We get down 2-1, and we’re in the locker room like it’s just another day. We show up ready to play and try to get a win. And let’s go win Game 5.”
On the brink of reaching the ALCS for the first time since 2013, the Tigers came back from a 2-1 deficit when Zach McKinstry homered in the fifth off Tanner Bibee, and Wenceel Pérez hit a run-scoring single in the sixth.
Steven Kwan singled off Sean Guenther with two outs in the seventh inning.
Beau Brieske had pitched scoreless for 5 and 1/3 innings over four postseason appearances before Fry, batting for Kyle Manzardo, hit a fastball off an advertising sign between the two bullpens in left field, marking the second pinch-homer in Cleveland postseason history, after Hank Majeski in Game 4 of the 1954 World Series.
Fry hit the fourth go-ahead pinch home run in postseason history when trailing in the seventh inning or later. The previous players to do this were Kirk Gibson of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 World Series, Ed Sprague of Toronto in the 1992 World Series, and Eric Hinske of Atlanta in the 2010 NL Division Series.
This quieted 44,923 fans, who set a playoff attendance record for the second day in a row at 25-year-old Comerica Park. “Such a great baseball game,” said Vogt.
Clase held onto a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning, escaping a tricky situation with runners on second and third by striking out Trey Sweeney with a 100.9 mph cutter, which made the batter’s helmet come off.
In the ninth, Brayan Rocchio and Kwan both got one-out singles, and Fry bunted back to reliever Will Vest. Rocchio slid home headfirst to beat Vest’s backhand flip, increasing the lead to 5-3.
That extra run proved to be important.
Pinch-hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy doubled to start the ninth, moved up on Parker Meadows’ groundout, and scored on Jace Jung’s groundout.
Clase, who had given up Kerry Carpenter’s three-run homer in the ninth inning of the 3-0 loss in Game 2, struck out Matt Vierling, who couldn’t check his swing on a low and outside cutter.
“I was really excited to get to the mound, especially getting the trust back from the manager to get me in that role and that responsibility,” Clase said through an interpreter.
Lane Thomas ended the Guardians’ 20-inning scoreless streak with a two-out RBI single in the first inning off Reese Olson, who had not allowed a run in the first inning of 22 regular-season starts.
Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and José Ramírez gave Cleveland the lead with a home run in the fifth inning off Tyler Holton, ending an 0-for-10 slump.
