David Fry's heroics carry the Guardians over the Tigers and force Game 5

DETROIT – Pinch-hitter David Fry hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning and scored a game-winning run in the ninth inning to help the Cleveland Guardians to a decisive Game 5 against the Detroit Tigers in their American League Division series with a 5: 4 win on Thursday evening.

“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 since Game 6 of the 1997 World Series after Emmanuel Clase recorded five outs for his third multi-inning save of the year.

“It’s win or go home,” said Vogt. “You want your best pitchers to be out there as long as possible.”

AL Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal will start for the Tigers in Game 5 on Saturday afternoon in Cleveland.

“It's always reassuring to have Tarik Skubal on the mound,” Detroit manager AJ Hinch said.

The winner advances to the AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees starting Monday.

“We’re one win away,” Detroit first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. “That’s the attitude. We don't want it to be easy. We knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

Fry said the Guardians' resilience is no surprise.

“We’ve shown all year that these guys are that,” he said. “We have a lot of tough guys. We lost 2-1 and sat in the locker room as if it was just another day. We are ready to play and try to get a win. And let’s win Game 5.”

With the Tigers on the verge of reaching the ALCS for the first time since 2013, they overcame a 2-1 deficit when Zach McKinstry hit a home run in the fifth and Wenceel Pérez hit a run-scoring single in the sixth.

Steven Kwan singled Sean Guenther with two outs in the seventh.

Beau Brieske had thrown scoreless ball for 5⅓ innings in four postseason appearances before Fry, batting for Kyle Manzardo, fired a fastball off a billboard between the two bullpens in the left corner for Hank Majeski's second pinch hit in Game 4 Homer scored in Cleveland's postseason history in the 1954 World Series.

That reassured the 44,923 fans who set a playoff attendance record for the second straight year at 25-year-old Comerica Park.

Fry joined Jake Bauers (2024), Trot Nixon (2003) and George Vukovich (1981) as the fourth player in postseason history to give the green light to the HR when he was on the verge of elimination.

“Such a great baseball game,” Vogt said.

Clase maintained a 4-3 lead in the eighth when he avoided a jam in the second and third by striking out Trey Sweeney with a 100.9 mph cutter as the batter's helmet came off.

Brayan Rocchio and Kwan scored singles in the ninth, and Fry came back to substitute Will Vest. Rocchio slid home headfirst to beat Vest's backhand flip, extending the lead to 5-3.

That turned out to be important.

Pinch-hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy doubled the lead in the bottom of the ninth, advancing on Parker Meadows' groundout and scoring on Jace Jung's groundout.

Clase, who gave up Kerry Carpenter's three-run home run in the ninth inning of the 3-0 loss in Game 2, struck out Matt Vierling, who couldn't control his swing on a low and outside cutter.

“I was really excited to get on the mound, especially gaining back the trust of the manager to put me in this role and this responsibility,” Clase said through an interpreter.

Lane Thomas ended the Guardians' 20-inning scoreless streak with a two-out RBI single in the first against Reese Olson, who did not allow a run in the first inning of 22 regular-season starts

Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly in the second and Jose Ramirez gave Cleveland the lead with a homer in the fifth inning off Tyler Holton, ending a 10-0 skid.

TRAINER ROOM

Carpenter injured his left hamstring while scoring in the sixth game and was narrowly hit in the seventh game.

“It's concerning, but I'm not going to worry about it until the doctors give me an update and he gets imaging and everything we need to do by Saturday,” Hinch said.

NEXT

Left-hander Matthew Boyd may start in Game 5 for the Guardians, whose last Game 5 was a loss to the Yankees in the 2022 ALCS. Vogt said the team will make that decision on Friday.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.