Guardians win classic vs. Tigers to force deciding Game 5

The Cleveland Guardians held off a gritty Detroit Tigers squad to win Game 4 of the ALDS 5-4 and force the series to a fifth and deciding game.

Game 5 will be played Saturday at Progressive Field.

The back-and-forth contest at Comerica Park saw Cleveland emerge victorious thanks to David Fry's go-ahead, pinch-hit two-run homer in the seventh inning.

Fry then squeezed the winning run home in the top of the ninth.

The victory snapped Cleveland's 11-game losing streak when facing elimination. It was the club's first such victory since Game 6 of the 1997 World Series.

The Guardians also ended a 20-inning scoreless streak with a run in the first inning, although that lead was short-lived when Detroit tied it up in the second. Another Cleveland lead, this one courtesy of a José Ramírez solo shot in the top of the fifth, was answered immediately by Tigers third baseman Zach McKinstry's homer in the bottom half.

Detroit would take the lead in the sixth inning on Wenceel Pérez's pinch-hit single, only to be shocked by Fry's homer the next inning. Fry became the ninth player and first pinch hitter to hit a go-ahead home run with his team trailing in the seventh or later while facing elimination, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

The Tigers didn't go down without a fight, putting runners on base during the final two innings and scoring a run in the ninth. But Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, who gave up the game-winning homer in the ninth inning of Game 2, shut the door this time and recorded a five-out save to send the series back to Cleveland.

The Tigers removed designated hitter Kerry Carpenter in the bottom of the seventh after he appeared to come up limp while running the bases a few innings earlier. Manager A.J. Hinch said Carpenter will undergo testing over the next 24 hours, according to Evan Woodberry of MLive.com.

"Anytime a player like him has to leave the game, it's concerning, but I'm going to hold off any thoughts until the doctors give me an update and he gets imaging and all the things that we need to do prior to Saturday," Hinch said.