October 11 – Detroit – David Fry hits a two-run home run in the seventh inning and adds a scoring sacrifice bunt in the ninth to give the Cleveland Guardians a 5–4 win in Game 4 of the America’s Cup over the Detroit Tigers.
Relievers Hunter Gaddis (1-0), Tim Herrin and Emmanuel Class held the Tigers in check over the final 3 2/3 innings, allowing just one run to help the Guardians tie the series 2-2 and advance to Saturday’s decisive Game 5 in Cleveland.
The winning team will advance to a best-of-seven series against either the New York Yankees or Kansas City Royals in the ALCS that begins Monday.
Facing elimination after Game 6 of the 1997 World Series in Florida, Cleveland earned its first playoff win. Since then, the Guardians have lost 11 consecutive games in the playoffs, the longest losing streak in MLB history.
In the seventh inning, Frye hit a two-run homer off Beau Briscoe (0-1) with two outs, giving the Guardians a 4-3 lead. On a 2-2 count, Frye hit a 382-foot ball to left-center that scored Steven Kwan at second base.
Cleveland added an insurance run in the ninth inning. With people on first, third and one out, Frye hit a bunt and reliever Will West’s pitch wasn’t in time to get a sliding Brian Rocchio out.
The Tigers tied the game within one on Justin-Henry Malloy’s double in the ninth inning, moved to third on a grounder and scored on a grounder by Jace Jung. Class struck out Matt Werling to send the series back to Cleveland.
The Defenders, who had 11 hits in the game, broke a 20-inning drought in the first inning when Lane Thomas singled to right field and Cowan scored at third base, Cleveland leading 1–0.
In the second inning, Trey Sweeney sacrificed a fly to center, Colt Keith scored, and the Tigers tied the score at 1–1.
Jose Ramirez hit his first home run of the postseason in the fifth inning, taking over from pitcher Tyler Holton, giving Cleveland a 2-1 lead. Ramirez went hitless in his last 10 at-bats and launched a two-out changeup 418 feet to left field. Holden replaced Tigers starter Reese Olson, who went four innings, giving up one run on five hits, walking one and striking out four.
With the score tied 2–2 in the bottom of the inning, Detroit’s Jack McKinstry hit a 354-foot home run off Tanner Beebe to tie the game. Beebe threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 1 and was immediately replaced by Chad Smith after giving up four hits and two runs in four-plus innings.
Detroit took a 3–2 lead in the sixth inning when pinch-hitter Wensel Pérez hit a two-out single to center off of Gaddis, scoring Kerry Carpenter at second base.
——Bob Trippi, On-Sight Media
