DETROIT — Pinch hitter David Fry had a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning, then bunted home an insurance run in the ninth to help the Cleveland Guardians force a decisive Game 5 against the Detroit Tigers in their AL Division Series with a 5-4 victory Thursday night.
The Guardians ended a streak of 11 losses in postseason elimination games dating to Game 6 of 1997 World Series.
Game 5 is Saturday in Cleveland, with ace Tarik Skubal set to start for the Tigers. The winner advances to the ALCS against the New York Yankees or Kansas City Royals starting Monday.
Fry said the Guardians’ resilience was no surprise.
“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 to try and get a win. And let’s go win Game 5.”
On the verge of reaching the AL Championship Series for the first time since 2013, the Tigers overcame 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,
Beau Brieske had pitched scoreless ball for 5 1/3 innings over four postseason appearances before Fry, batting for Kyle Manzardo, drove a fastball off an advertising sign between the two bullpens in left for the second pinch-homer in Cleveland postseason history after Hank Majeski in Game 4 of the 1954 World Series.
That quieted 44,923 fans who set a playoff attendance record for the second straight day at 25-year-old Comerica Park.
Emmanuel Clase retired five batters, preserving a 4-3 lead in the eighth when he escaped a second-and-third jam by striking out Trey Sweeney on a 100.9-mph cutter as the batter’s helmet came off.
Fry’s bunt brought home Brayan Rocchio in the ninth to boost the lead, which proved important.
Pinch hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy doubled leading off the ninth, advanced on Parker Meadows’ groundout and scored on Jace Jung’s groundout.
Clase, who gave 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, for the save.
Lane Thomas ended the Guardians’ 20-inning scoreless streak with a two-out RBI single in the first off 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 José Ramírez put Cleveland ahead with a fifth-inning homered off Tyler Holton, ending an 0-for-10 slid.