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The Tigers confidently face the win-or-go-home challenge in Game 5

Posted on by Vanessa
The Tigers confidently face the win-or-go-home challenge in Game 5

Cleveland — It feels like the Tigers have been here before, but they haven't.

Yes, their backs were against the wall in the final two months of the season as they went 31-13 with no margin for error to get into the playoffs. Yes, the situation would have been dire if Kerry Carpenter hadn't hit a three-run home run in Game 2 to send the American League Division Series tied to Detroit.

But this is different.

No more “rinse and move on.” No more “reset and win tomorrow.” When the Tigers and Guardians meet at Progressive Field on Saturday at 1:08 p.m., it will literally be win or go home for the first time this season.

“I think our team wouldn’t have it any other way,” said presumptive Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, who will get the ball for the Tigers. “That's why you play the game for moments like this and for phases like this in this environment.

“I think our guys will respond well and it will be a lot of fun.”

If you want to fully understand the dynamics, nuances and magnitude of these elimination playoff games, spend a few minutes with Tigers captain AJ Hinch.

He managed two Game 7 victories in the World Series, winning in 2017 and losing in 2018.

“It’s a great opportunity to be great,” he said. “Everyone remembers these games. It's not a burden. There is no stress, no tension on our part. We will enjoy every moment of this opportunity because that is where we are; This is where we want to be.”

As the players flew straight from their plane to Progressive Field to practice Friday afternoon, they certainly didn't seem unduly weighed down by the tough 5-4 loss in Game 4.

“I feel like there’s no room to give in at this point,” Riley Greene said. “It’s win or go home. There is no room to be emotional or get hurt. You get punched in the face. You have to fight back immediately.”

The combat reference was appropriate. Saturday marks the fifth meeting between these two teams this week and the 18th time they have faced each other this season.

Both teams have shown all their cards. Both teams used all of their players and all of their strategies. At this point, with everything on the line, it becomes a street fight, best against best, and whoever comes out on top goes to the ALCS.

“These games are incredible,” Hinch said. “Every time a runner steps on base, the awareness is heightened. Every time the score changes, there is an emotional reaction in and around the building. Everyone is nervous. Everyone knows what is at stake. There are no secrets.

“It's the best kind of baseball you can get because everyone is all in, every moment, every pitch, every hit, and every single person can make the difference in the game.”

Boyd vs. Skubal, Remix

It's not that the game needs additional storylines, but the Guardians will use former Tigers left-hander Matthew Boyd alongside Skubal in a remix of Game 2, when Skubal threw seven scoreless innings and Boyd threw 4.2 scoreless innings.

“We discussed everything,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. “The best ways to win Game 5. We discussed many different scenarios, but the one that kept coming up was that Matthew threw the ball well; He was great for us.

“The way Matthew has taken the ball every time and competed, we feel really good about him taking the ball in a Game 5 scenario.”

Skubal and Boyd are close friends. Boyd mentored Skubal. Skubal was a rock Boyd could lean on during his rehabilitation process from Tommy John surgery. The two left Progressive Field together last Monday after the Tigers earned a 3-0 win in Game 2.

But the friendship takes a break for a few hours on Saturday.

“This guy means a lot to me,” Skubal said. “I have great respect for him. His family is great. Who he is in the clubhouse is great. I think that's the cool thing about this game. It's competitive. You do whatever it takes to win, but at the end of the day we're just human.

“It’s cool to have that human interaction and just be able to enjoy it.”

During his press conference on Friday, Boyd was asked about Skubal's fiery feelings on the mound.

“What Tarik is doing is great,” he said. “That’s perfect for him, right? He has that feeling. He has this fire. He feeds on this stuff and that's how he is. You wouldn't want him to be anyone else, would you? And I think that applies to everyone.”

Ironically, Boyd was the one who got emotional at the podium on Friday. He was asked about his journey, the way the Guardians signed him even though he wouldn't be ready to pitch until August or September, and here he is, starting Game 5 with the season on the line.

“Just gratitude,” he said, his voice cracking. “You're in the gym all these days and that's what you dream about. This is what you want and you are doing it.”

He had to stop and collect himself.

“I don’t know where that came from,” he said of the tears. “But you’re excited about it and that’s what you want. This is what you dream about. You dream about everything that leads to this.”

Built for this

Another ironic point: Left-hander Kerry Carpenter is not expected to be available for the Tigers after injuring his left hamstring in the sixth inning of Game 4. But with Boyd in the starting lineup, Carpenter probably wouldn't have been in the starting lineup anyway, although they will miss his bat late in the game against the Guardians' powerful right-handers.

“We know what we’re getting and they know what they’re getting,” Greene said. “We saw each other so often. We know what's going to happen. It depends on who gets the big hit, who makes the big pitches. Just play the game and play your butt off.

“It’s you versus the pitcher and nothing else matters. Your goal, your task, is to defeat the guy on the hill. With that mentality, you go out there, play hard and do everything you can to win.”

If the Tigers enter Game 5 with more confidence than you'd expect from such a young team on its first trip to the playoffs, it's because they know No. 29 is on the mound. On Skubal's starting days they are between 23 and 10.

“He was made for this moment,” Spencer Torkelson said.

The broadest shoulders carry the heaviest weight.

“Playoff baseball is just so much fun,” Skubal said. “I think it brings out the best in everyone, the focus, the drive. … You work hard and prepare for those moments, and then you just go out and play.

“I’m going to go out there and compete and give it everything I’ve got.”

Game 5's start time was pushed back from 8:08 p.m. to 1:08 p.m. due to storms forecast in the Cleveland area Saturday night.

“I’m just glad we made it before the rain,” Vogt said. “Nobody wants to play through rain delays and then you have to keep a starter going through a rain delay. It was the right decision to move the game forward and hopefully it will be a wonderful Saturday in Cleveland.”

Six months, 169 games, all the valleys and rallies, all the heartache and heroics, and the season comes down to one game. Win or go home.

“It's competitive and I love the fact that both teams are fighting,” Hinch said. “I love the fact that there is familiarity. I love the challenge and the fact that it means so much to so many of us who gave it our best. So we will accept it.

“This position does not cause us any stress or anxiety because we have earned it. And now we'll see where it takes us. And we have every chance to win, not just because of the guy we start on the mound, but because of the collective group there.”

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@cmccosky

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