MLB Playoffs: The Guardians force a Game 5 against the Tigers after David Fry flips the script with a two-run home run in ALDS Game 4

DETROIT – As the saying goes, “Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in sports.” It's a feeling that stands on its own and requires no further qualifications. However, context is crucial because not every shot is the same. Regardless of the players involved, one crucial truth remains: As difficult as it is to hit a round ball with a round bat, it becomes even more difficult when the count is not in the hitter's favor.

And in Game 4 of the ALDS, the count wasn't in David Fry's favor.

A back-and-forth that ended in a 5-4 win in Cleveland put Fry in the spotlight for his Guardians in an elimination game. Although he had not yet started the game, he was called upon to provide the hit for rookie Kyle Manzardo with a runner on base and two outs in the seventh inning, trailing by one run. Tigers manager AJ Hinch countered with a managerial change of his own, bringing in proven fireman Beau Brieske.

Facing Brieske was a tall order once the bullpen door opened. In four brilliant appearances, the right winger has yet to allow a goal this postseason. Fry was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts against Brieske this year.

A 95 mph fastball flew over for strike one. Fry failed in a tough change for strike two.

Suddenly, in a 0-2 hole, the most difficult thing in sports became even more difficult.

It is no coincidence that a stadium crowd often stands when the home team's pitcher has achieved two strikeouts, as the likelihood of the at-bat ending in the pitcher's favor increases dramatically. This time was no different. Comerica Park rose in unison, eager for Brieske to scuttle another Guardians rally, ready to roar in unison, as it had done on numerous other occasions as postseason baseball returned to the Motor City after a decade of quiet October months.

But this season, as he has risen from anonymity to become one of the most popular and productive players in the Guardians' squad, Fry has repeatedly defied the odds. A poignant example: Despite the overwhelming statistical evidence that success at the plate after stumbling into the ultimate pitcher's count is an enormous rarity, Fry has thrived in such situations. MLB teams combined to hit .163/.197/.252 after going 0-2 in the regular season. Fry, on the other hand, hit .265/.307/.530 ​​in those situations, good for an OPS of .837, which was the best mark in baseball.

And so, undaunted, Fry began to fight his way out of the 0-2 hole, as he had done so many times before. He fouled off another fastball before watching Brieske sail two pitches outside to tie the count. Then Brieske brought the heat again, this time in the zone. Fry jumped over it and launched a huge drive that ended up just inside the left field wall and set up a two-run home run.

The volume that had been increasing in every area of ​​the park packed with 44,923 spectators – a Comerica postseason record – suddenly stopped. As Fry rounded the bases, the only sounds came from the enthusiastic Guardians dugout and the few rows behind home plate filled with families and friends of Cleveland players.

“As a ballplayer, you know, of course, this is his coming out party as a player — making the All-Star Game, finishing the season with an OPS of .800 and then going out and doing what he's done so far ,” said catcher Austin Hedges after the game. “It's no surprise to us, but it means a lot to us. And you know, a big reason we’re here now is because of David Fry.”

Fry's heroics on Thursday weren't just limited to his go-ahead home run. In the bottom of the ninth, he came to the plate again with runners on base, this time on the corners with one out. With a one-run lead, Vogt believed Cleveland's best chance to add to reliever Will Vest wasn't by letting Fry swing for another long ball, but rather something more subtle.

On Vest's first pitch, Fry pushed a perfect ball to the right side, giving Brayan Rocchio just enough time to race home from third base and slide in safely. That proved to be a crucial winning run as Detroit was able to score against world number one Emmanuel Clase in the bottom of the ninth.

“All of our boys are working on pennant design. It is a tool that we have to use to get the lead and extend our lead,” said Vogt afterwards. “And when I talked to David, I said, 'Hey, do you want to do this?' He said, 'Oh yes, I've experienced a lot in my life.' I'm confident.'”

Fry confirmed. “Vogt kind of came up to me and said, 'Hey, how confident are you about getting this done?' And I told him I wasn’t a particularly good hitter in high school, so I’m pretty confident.”

Fry's two late plate appearances – a blast and a bunt – were just a few of the stunning twists that unfolded over the course of Game 4. Cleveland ended its 20-inning scoreless streak with three hits and a rushing run in the top of the first, but Detroit tied it in the next frame. Jose Ramirez's gigantic solo home run to left early in the fifth was immediately canceled out by a solo home run by Tigers utility man Zach McKinstry to lead off the bottom of the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, Detroit rallied several baserunners against Cleveland's Cyborg rookie reliever ace Cade Smith, including one who scored on a bloop single by Wenceel Perez, securing Detroit's first lead of the night and putting the Tigers nine outs away brought the ALCS.

They would only record two before Fry flipped the script.

Any team that survives a win-or-go affair will feel pretty good after the final game is recorded. But for the Guardians in particular, such a feeling was elusive. Elimination games haven't been going well for this franchise lately. Before Thursday's triumph, Cleveland had lost 11 straight postseason playoff games, the longest such streak in MLB history. Cleveland hadn't managed to avoid elimination in October since Game 6 of the 1997 World Series, and that series 27 years ago still ended heartbreakingly with a Game 7 loss to the Marlins.

It's a stretch that perhaps means nothing given the constantly changing characters; Every season, every team, every opponent is different. But it speaks to the recurring experience that Cleveland fans have struggled with and are reminded of every time their team finds itself on the brink of the season.

The road ahead is still treacherous — Tarik Skubal is coming up in Game 5, after all — but the dream of ending a 76-year World Series drought remains alive. Nine more wins will be needed from Saturday.