The Cleveland Guardians on Saturday won the decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers in a 7-3 finish to advance to the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees.
Cleveland and Detroit both came into Saturday's game with similar storylines surrounding their perceived auras of scrappiness and heart.
Before a sellout crowd that featured more than a few pockets of Tigers fans, tensions were high and hopes were higher.
“I’m so happy for the Guardians tonight… It’s Game 5, oh my god!” shouted Bri Bryant as she posed for pictures before the game.
Bryant is a singer in the Cleveland-based rock band Welshly Arms and was on hand to sing the national anthem. She has sung at the stadium on multiple occasions and noted that the team has never lost following one of her performances.
“People say, ‘You’re the lucky charm.’ That’s a big demand right there!” Bryant said.
The Guardians had the momentum from a comeback win in Game 4 in Detroit to force Saturday's Game 5 in Cleveland. But Tigers fans came riding a wave of confidence in their starting pitcher, Cy Young Award candidate Tarik Skubal, who stymied the Guardians in Game 2 on Monday night.
Bob Eckenrode, from Boardman, attended his first game of the series. He was restrained in his pre-game predictions, but said he's high on this particular Guardians team. As a long-time fan, he’s seen a lot of Cleveland baseball squads and rates this one among the top.
“It’s one of the top five, I would say,” Eckenrode said.
Ally Saad, from Dearborn, Michigan, came to the game with his friend, Andre Turfe, and wasn’t hesitant to make predictions. He likes the Guardians, but was sure a Tigers win was coming.
“Good team, good team, let 'em play,” Saad said about the Guardians. "But I think we got ‘em today. Skubal gonna get 'em, 4-1. Put your money on the money line!”
Saad commented on the Tigers’ grit amid their unexpected postseason run that sent the team on an improbable string of wins through August and September to earn a Wild Card slot for October baseball.
“The Tigers, they surprised us. We had no idea they were going to come this far. But back on Aug. 29, I put $20 on them to win it all!” Saad explained.
Pamela Houston is a Cleveland corporate trainer who came to the game with a colorful group of friends who reflected the attitude they see in the city.
“Cleveland is on fire! We are gonna get this, Believeland! Everybody should be watching TV or listening to their radios today,” Houston said.
Like Game 2, Skubal was dominant on the mound early on, with an error by his outfield giving the Guardians their only sign of offensive life in the first few innings.
In the top of the fifth inning, Tigers designated hitter Kerry Carpenter hit an RBI single to bring home Trey Sweeney, putting Detroit up, 1-0, as it seemed like Skubal would remain nearly untouchable.
The Guardians got a groove going when Andrés Giménez reached base, followed by Steven Kwan and David Fry in the bottom of the fifth. José Ramírez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, giving Cleveland their first run. Lane Thomas, one of the heroes of the Game 1 drubbing of Detroit last Saturday, brought the crowd to life with a grand slam to put the Guardians up, 5-1.
After Cleveland's offensive explosion, the final four innings became a game of keep-away for the Guardians.
Detroit added two more runs, one in the sixth on a Jake Rogers single and one in the seventh off a Colt Keith double, but Hunter Gaddis, who came on in relief for the Guardians, kept the pressure on before giving way to reliever Eli Morgan.
Cleveland closer and Cy Young candidate Emmanuel Clase worked two scoreless innings with two strikeouts to preserve the lead and secure the win for reliever Tim Herrin, who came on for Cleveland to pitch the final out of the fifth inning.
Dax McCall, of Lorain, was ecstatic as the Guardians wrapped up the win.
"I'm feeling great, man. This atmosphere is electric. There's nothing like October postseason baseball in Cleveland," he said.
The Guardians go on to face the Yankees in a best-of-seven series to see who will represent the American League in the World Series. Game 1 is scheduled for 7:38 p.m. Monday in New York.
The National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets begins Sunday.
"I'm feeling we can go ahead and go to the World Series," McCall declared. "We gotta take care of the boys in pinstripes, but I'm super confident of what we can do."
