MLB Division Series takeaways: Yankees advance to ALCS, Guardians stay alive

Oct 10, 2024, 10:59 PM ET

One team lives on in the American League Division Series. One team is done for the season.

In the first of two win-or-go-home ALDS games on Thursday, the Cleveland Guardians staved off elimination at the hands of the surging Detroit Tigers with a 5-4 win. They’ll meet Saturday in Cleveland for a deciding Game 5. In the late matchup, New York Yankees celebrated an ALCS berth after knocking off the Kansas City Royals.

Here is how the day went down, from live updates and analysis to takeaways and what’s next for each team.

Jump to: Live updates | Lineups, matchups

Live updates

Today’s matchups

Series tied 2-2

The best game of the series provided highlight reel moments for both teams, but it’s the Guardians who prevailed to force a Game 5 in Cleveland on Saturday thanks to the heroics of designated hitter David Fry. who wasn’t even in the starting lineup. Fry came off the bench to hit a two-run home run in the seventh, giving the lead back to the Guardians, who were down 3-2 at the time. Fry added an RBI on a squeeze play two innings later, cementing his status as the MVP of the night. The game was tied 1-1 and 2-2 before Detroit took its only lead in the sixth on an RBI hit by pinch hitter Wenceel Perez. The drama continued through the later innings as Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was asked to complete a five-out save. He gave up a run in the ninth, but closed the door on Matt Vierling and the Tigers, getting him to strike out.

What to watch in Game 5: The Tigers lost Game 4, but they automatically earn the edge for Game 5 because Tarik Skubal is on full rest and ready to go in the biggest game of his life. The likely Cy Young winner shut down the Guardians over seven innings in Game 2 and hasn’t given up a run in the postseason yet. It’s unclear what Cleveland will do to counter him — Matthew Boyd is the likely starter — but either way, the Guardians will be underdogs against one of the best in the game. — Jesse Rogers