With their backs against the wall, the Cleveland Guardians needed a herculean effort from their players to avoid being another division winner to fall prey in the Division Series under the current playoff format. And somehow, someway, the Guardians keep on receiving heroics from the unheralded David Fry, the 28-year-old utility guy who has a grand total of three postseason games under his belt entering Thursday night.
The Guardians called upon Fry to pinch hit for Kyle Manzardo in the top of the seventh inning with the team down 3-2 to the Tigers. Fry then proceeded to hit a go-ahead home run off of Beau Brieske, and then he came through once again in the top of the ninth when he drove in a run via a sacrifice fly to give Cleveland the insurance run they needed in what ended up being a 5-4 win for the AL Central champion.
All season long, the Guardians have managed to play above expectations. The team's offense, outside of the always-excellent Jose Ramirez, has been very inconsistent. But they have driven in some runs when it matters the most. They will need to do it one more time against the Tigers as the series shifts back to Progressive Field.
“We’ve shown that all year long, that’s who these guys are. We have a bunch of tough dudes. We get down 2-1 and we’re in the locker room like it’s just another day. We show up ready to play to try and get a win. And let’s go win Game 5,” Fry said following the Guardians' Game 4 win, via ESPN.
The path Fry took to the big leagues is emblematic of the way the Guardians have kept on trudging along even though many have counted them out all season long. He was a player to be named later in a trade involving a relief pitcher who's no longer in the big leagues, and yet, here he is, flourishing in the grandest baseball stage of them all.
It may not be apparent when one looks at his stats or his pedigree as a ballplayer, but Guardians manager Stephen Vogt gave Fry his well-deserved flowers.
“David Fry is one of the best baseball players in this league,” Vogt said.
Can the Guardians overcome Tarik Skubal in Game 5?
The Guardians can only take care of the business that's in front of them, and they managed to extend the ALDS to a decisive fifth game thanks in large part to David Fry's heroics. But therein lies the twist; how much longer will the Guardians' playoff run actually last when they will have to come up against Tigers star pitcher Tarik Skubal in a do-or-die contest?
Skubal is the best pitcher among the remaining playoff teams, and he has shown that he too can perform to his best even during playoff time. He's as unhittable of a starter as there can be; he quieted the Houston Astros in his lone Wild Card series start, pitching six scoreless innings while allowing just five baserunners, and then in Game 2 of the ALDS, Skubal shut down the Guardians' offense completely, allowing just three hits in seven shutout innings.
Skubal is the closest to a boss fight as there is in today's MLB. But the Guardians have made their mark this year by shocking the world repeatedly. Can they do it one more time?