The Rangers avoid elimination with a late rebound and force a deciding Game 5 against the Tigers

The Detroit Tigers were nine defensive outs away from advancing to the American League Championship Series, but the Cleveland Guardians are tired of their AL Central rival's incredible run.

The Rangers forced a fifth game in the ALDS on Thursday night after winning the fourth game of the series 5-4.

Cleveland got on the board early with a first-inning run, but a sack fly over Detroit in the next inning ended things. Jose Ramirez gave the Guardians the lead in the fifth quarter with a homer, but Zach McKinstry answered with a shot of his own in the second half of the inning.

Then, in the sixth, Wenceel Perez drove to the net with two outs to put Detroit up 3-2, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

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Cleveland came back with a bang when pinch hitter David Fry hit a two-out, two-run homer with the score at 2-2, giving the Guardians a 4-3 lead and putting the same raucous situation to rest. This put Cleveland in their golden zone, just like in the regular season, when they led 71-2 after six innings thanks to an elite backcourt.

BAfter the Tigers put runners on first and second with one out in the eighth, manager Stephen Vogt approached Emmanuel Clase earlier than he would have liked. After both runners moved to the ground, he struck out Trey Sweeney to get out of the jam.

With runners on and one out in the top of the ninth, the Rangers wanted insurance, which they got with a suicide hit by Fry himself, who scored Steven Kwan, giving Clase a comfortable two-run lead.

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However, Clase allowed a double advantage, which resulted in a draw. The lead player finally scored, showing how important insurance was. Fortunately for Cleveland, there was no further damage, and Clase finally got the five outs he needed before losing the lead.

The Guardians had lost 11 previous games in the face of elimination – their last win in that situation was Game 6 of the 1997 World Series… which they lost to the Florida Marlins in a no-contest the next night.

Kwan recorded three hits, raising his average in the series to .500.

Cleveland Guardians first baseman David Fry (6) celebrates on the bench after hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers during Game 4 of the ALDS of the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Comerica Park. (images by Rick Osentoska-Imagn)

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Detroit was certainly hoping to save AL Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal in Game 1 of the ALCS, but he'll likely now take on the challenge for the Tigers in Cleveland. The Guardians starter is also yet to be determined, but it looks likely to be Matthew Boyd, who is rested regularly.

This game will be played on Saturday, and the time will be determined based on the course of Thursday's Yankees-Royals game.

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