DETROIT — Pinch-hitter David Frey hits a leadoff two-run homer in the seventh inning and bunts for a home run in the ninth to give the Cleveland Guardians a decisive Game 5 of the American League District Series against the Detroit Tigers. He contributed to the victory. They won 5-4 on Thursday night.
Cleveland ended its postseason losing streak with 11 games, dating back to Game 6 of the 1997 World Series.
Game 5 will be played in Cleveland on Saturday, with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal scheduled to start. The winner advances to the ALCS, which begins Monday against the New York Yankees or Kansas City Royals.
Frye said the Guardians' resiliency was no surprise.
“We've shown all year that these are the kind of people we are,” he said. “We have a lot of tough players. We're down 2-1 and we're in the locker room like it's just another day. We're ready to play for a win. And we're going to play for Game 5. Let's go win.”
The Tigers, on the verge of advancing to the AL Championship Series for the first time since 2013, had a home run off Tanner Bibby by Zach McKinstry in the fifth inning and a run-scoring single by Wensel Perez in the sixth inning, making it 2-2. Overcame the disadvantage of 1.
Beau Briske had pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in four postseason games, but Frye, who was pinch-hitting for Kyle Manzard, sent a fastball into the billboard between the two bullpens on the left, and Hank He hit the second pinch-hit home run in Cleveland's postseason history after Madejski. Game 4 of the 1954 World Series.
This silenced the 44,923 fans who had set a playoff attendance record for two consecutive days at the 25-year-old Comerica Park.
Emmanuel Clase retired five batters, and in the 8th inning, he struck out Trey Sweeney, whose helmet had come off, with a 160.9 mph cutter, escaping the second and third pinch and taking a 4-3 lead. was maintained.
It proved to be crucial in the ninth inning, as Frye's bunt brought home Brayan Rocchio and extended the lead.
Pinch hitter Justin Henry Malloy hit a double starting in the ninth inning, advancing on a grounder by Parker Meadows and scoring on a grounder by Jace Jung.
Clase allowed Kelly Carpenter's three-run homer in the ninth inning of a 3-0 loss in Game 2, but made the save by striking out Matt Vierling, who couldn't see his swing.
Lane Thomas, who started 22 regular season games, ended the Guardians' scoreless streak in 20 innings with a two-out hit in the first inning off Reese Olson, who had no runs in the first inning.
Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and Jose Ramirez hit a home run off Tyler Holton in the fifth inning to put Cleveland ahead, making them 1-for-0.
