DETROIT — The Guardians' decision makers trusted the process over the results. Thanks to that steadfastness, and one massively clutch swing from David Fry, they are still alive in the MLB playoffs.

The Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers 5-4 in Game 4 of the American League Division Series Thursday night at Comerica Park. It was Cleveland's first postseason win in an elimination game since Game 6 of the 1997 World Series.

Fry became the fourth player to hit a pinch-hit, go-ahead home run with his team trailing in the seventh inning or later in postseason history, joining Eric Hinske (2010), Ed Sprague (1992) and Kirk Gibson (1988).

It was enough to tie the series 2-2 and force a winner-take-all Game 5 at 8:08 p.m. Saturday at Progressive Field.

David Fry pinch-hit home run wins ALDS Game 4 after manager Stephen Vogt makes the right call

With the Guardians' backs against the wall, Fry came up with the swing to momentarily save their playoff hopes. But the first step was choosing when to get him into the game.

In Game 3, manager Stephen Vogt was ultra-aggressive in pinch-hitting for both Will Brennan — before he even had an at-bat — and then Kyle Manzardo. The Tigers went to a left-hander after their opener threw only six pitches, and the Guardians adjusted.

But pinch-hitting Jhonkensy Noel and Fry in Game 3 was more than simply wanting the platoon advantage. It was that both instances featured a runner in scoring position, which made it a high-leverage situation. It didn't work in Game 3, but the logic was sound.

Fast forward to Game 4 Thursday, and the Guardians were a touch more patient, but they followed the same line of thinking. There was one instance with Manzardo a bit earlier in the game when pinch-hitting was possible due to another lefty being on the mound. But, then, the bases were empty.

As Fry came up in the seventh inning, the Guardians were down a run with one runner on base — that was the time to be aggressive, just as they had done the day prior.

The Tigers went to their bullpen after Fry was announced as the hitter, bringing in right-hander Beau Brieske, but that was a matchup the Guardians still liked more than Manzardo versus a lefty in that spot.

"You just can't say enough about what David has meant to us this year," Vogt said after the game. "And the personal history is huge, but you look at that and you can say, 'Oh, no, he owns them,' or, 'He's due.' And, again, like we talked about yesterday, you have to take your shots, and fortunately one of our shots worked out today."

The Guardians dugout erupted the moment the ball sailed over the left-field wall. Several players spilled out onto the field. A bat was flung about 20 feet in the air. Nearly every decibel of sound within Comerica Park was coming from one dugout.

It was difficult for Fry to even remember what happened once the ball was gone.

"You dream about it as a kid and think about it all the time, and in the offseason when you're working on stuff, and then it happens and it goes by real quick," Fry said. "I remember looking at the dugout and high-fiving [first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr.], and then just black out, and then you're in the dugout and cheering with the boys."

Left fielder Steven Kwan added, "Yeah, it sounded good. The angle was right, but I knew there's a lot of room out there in left field, so I didn't want to celebrate too early. But saw it fly over and, yeah — instant blackout."

The results that follow a decision don't necessarily mean it was the right or wrong call. Sometimes things don't work out. The Guardians followed their plan, and this time it saved their October.

Austin Hedges, Guardians credit 2024 postseason grit with early season mindset

A lot of has been said about the Guardians clubhouse in 2024 — how close-knit the players have been, how they have taken pride in their ability to come back from every deficit.

It isn't something that can be quantified with any stat or metric. It's also something that nearly every club will say at some point, but with the Guardians' track record this year it would be hard to argue against.

With the Guardians successfully fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive at least for one more game, they've begun to point back to how they tried to view all 162 — well, 161 — regular-season games.

It came from veteran catcher Austin Hedges, who has experience being in a clubhouse that can go on a World Series run. Hedges led the charge for the Guardians to treat every regular-season game as if it was a playoff game.

Random interleague game in May? Act like it's a do-or-die playoff matchup. Day game in June? Nope, it's Game 7 in October.

Hedges helped to implement that kind of a mindset, the Guardians started the season 7-2, and now they're one win away from the American League Championship Series, where the New York Yankees are waiting.

The Guardians believe all of it set them up to handle these games.

"Every game all season was a must-win game for us," Hedges said. "I feel like we felt the pressure all season. We felt it in April and May, there was pressure on us to win every single game. We put that on ourselves so that when these big moments come, we've been here before.

"When you treat every game in the regular season like it's an absolute must-win game, and you're absolutely heartbroken every time you lose and you're excited every time you win … it sets you up for success in the postseason when it matters more."

David Fry, Jose Ramirez lead Guardians lineup to end ALDS scoreless streak

The Guardians entered an elimination game riding a 20-inning scoreless streak. After a five-run outburst in Game 1, Cleveland had effectively been shut down by anyone the Tigers brought to the mound.

Vogt's message to the team before Game 4 was essentially aimed at resetting the offensive mindset.

"He had a really good message before the game, and it was we got to this point by leaning on each other and kind of just passing the baton, we don't need one person to be the big hero,'" Kwan said. "I think that was the big [change] today."

Kwan opened the game with a single. Manzardo followed with another single, and the Guardians eventually took a 1-0 lead.

In the end, though, it came down to two huge home runs by two All-Stars in the Guardians lineup.

The first was from Ramirez, who entered that at-bat 1-for-11 in the ALDS (and that one hit was originally ruled an error). He then drilled a solo home run that was 109.9 mph off the bat, his hardest-hit homer of the season.

It might have been the unleashing of some frustration. Ramirez didn't just crush it, he also let out more emotion than he often does after a home run. It was noticed by the Guardians dugout.

"He's not the most emotional guy, but to see him get fired up after that homer kind of got the boys going," Fry said.

The Guardians will again see Tigers star and Cy Young frontrunner Tarik Skubal in Game 5. They'll need Ramirez, their own star, to go to battle with Skubal. For the Guardians, seeing Ramirez hit that home run was like a 109.9-mph breath of fresh air.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians MLB Playoffs: David Fry wins ALDS Game 4