Takeaways from Guardians-Tigers Game 4: David Fry's heroics force winner-take-all Game 5 in ALDS

The Cleveland Guardians aren't done just yet. 

On Thursday, Cleveland's offense finally broke through, propelling the team to a 5-4 road win over the Detroit Tigers, forcing a winner-take-all Game 5 in the American League Division Series. The win snaps the Guardians' postseason record of 11 consecutive losses when facing elimination and sends the team back to Cleveland as it attempts to advance to the ALCS on Saturday. 

Here are three takeaways from Cleveland’s win: 

David Fry plays the hero 

Guardians first-year manager Stephen Vogt was heavily criticized for some questionable decisions he's made throughout the ALDS, including leaving starting pitcher Tanner Bibee for too long on Thursday. However, the 39-year-old made amends for his rookie mistakes during the top of the seventh inning with his team trailing 3-2.

After outfielder Steven Kwan recorded a two-out single, Vogt sent DH David Fry, who posted a .200 batting average across his first three games of the postseason, to pinch-hit for rookie Kyle Manzardo against Detroit’s Beau Brieske. Fry quickly fell behind 0-2 in the at-bat but worked the count to 2-2 before unloading on a Brieske fastball, sending the pitch 382 feet over the left-field fence for a two-run homer.

Not only was this the All-Star's first postseason home run of his career, but it was also the first go-ahead pinch-hit home run in Cleveland playoff history, according to The Athletic's Zack Meisel. 

The clutch home run wasn't the last contribution Fry delivered during the contest, nor was it the only wise decision Vogt made. With one out in the ninth inning and runners at the corners, Vogt called for a safety squeeze, which Fry executed perfectly, bringing shortstop Brayan Rocchio home to extend Cleveland's lead to 5-3. 

The sacrifice bunt was ultimately the deciding factor in Game 4, considering the Tigers cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning. 

Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase redeems himself

Clase, who posted a ridiculous 0.61 ERA during the regular season, showed he wasn't invincible in Game 2. The hard-throwing right-hander pitched a second inning for just the second time in 2024 during Monday's contest and allowed a go-ahead and eventual game-winning three-run homer to outfielder Kerry Carpenter in the ninth inning.

Nevertheless, after Guardians reliever Tim Herrin ran into trouble in the eighth inning, allowing two singles, Vogt called on Clase for a five-out save in a one-run game. The three-time AL saves leader promptly got Tigers utilityman Zach McKinstry to ground out to second base before striking out shortstop Trey Sweeney on five pitches to escape the jam unscathed.

Clase wasn't perfect, however, allowing a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth inning to Tigers outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy. The rookie Malloy would later come around to score on an RBI groundout from Jace Jung, but Clase managed to shut the door on the Tigers to force a decisive Game 5. 

Even if the Tigers win Game 5, Thursday’s loss could still prove costly 

Despite the loss, the Tigers should feel confident about their outlook for Game 5 since they'll have left-hander Tarik Skubal on the mound. The Triple Crown winner has been brilliant during his first postseason run, posting 13 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts across two outings.

Even so, regardless of whether Detroit ends up winning the series in Game 5, Thursday's loss could still loom large in the ALCS. The Tigers surely didn't want to burn Skubal, particularly since it would put them at a massive disadvantage in the next round. Detroit won't be able to use its ace in Games 1 or 2 if it advances to the ALCS, where it could potentially face a Gerrit Cole-led Yankees team.

Not to mention that this would force Tigers manager A.J. Hinch to unleash his pitching chaos to begin the ALCS.

Although this approach has mostly panned out for the Tigers during the postseason, their bullpen — a unit that led MLB in innings pitched this season — is starting to see their workload take its toll. After all, four of the runs Cleveland scored Thursday came against Detroit's bullpen, which hadn't allowed a run since the sixth inning of Game 1 of the ALDS.