CLEVELAND — Despite not being able to close out a series win in the ALDS in Game 4 at home on Thursday, the Detroit Tigers are feeling relaxed and confident a day before the decisive Game 5 against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.

Manager A.J. Hinch said the team has stayed even-keeled throughout the run to make the playoffs and its first six games of the MLB postseason. He expects the same demeanor Saturday at 1:08 p.m. in front of a hostile road crowd with the season on the line.

“I’m so proud of our team and the way we are handling this — the loud music to the vibe that we are bringing tomorrow,” Hinch said. “It’s a great opportunity to be great. Like, everybody remembers these games and it’s a great opportunity. It’s not a burden, there’s no stress, no tension on our side. And we are going to enjoy every moment of this opportunity it’s where we are and where we want to be.”

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The Tigers did not have time to dwell on the back-and-forth 5-4 loss in Game 4 at Comerica Park Thursday, with an arrival in Cleveland on Friday morning. Left fielder Riley Greene said being able to compartmentalize and move on is crucial in October baseball, especially heading into a winner-take-all game.

“There is no room for getting down, it is win or go home at this point,” Greene said. “So, there’s no room for getting down on yourself and getting punched in the face. You always gotta punch right back.”

On Thursday night, first baseman Spencer Torkelson said the team didn’t want anything easy, and Game 5 starter Tarik Skubal agreed a day later. He said the team was embracing the challenge of having to clinch a second playoff series on the road.

“It’s why you play the game,” Skubal said. “For moments like this and for stages like this in this setting too. So I think our guys are going to respond well.”

The Tigers have spent most of the playoffs on the road, outside of the two-game homestand in Games 3 and 4 of the ALDS. They went 3-1 in their road games, sweeping Houston in the AL wild-card round and splitting Games 1 and 2 of the current series with Cleveland.

This will be the first decisive, winner-take-all postseason game for most of these Tigers players, but Hinch has experience in his time with the Houston Astros. He guaranteed something “unpredictable” would happen Saturday as both teams desperately try to advance.

“Everybody knows what’s at stake, there’s no secrets,” Hinch said. “It’s the best brand of baseball that you can get because everybody is all in in every moment, every pitch, every at-bat. Any one person can be the difference in the game.”

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Rubber match for familiar foes

Game 5 will be the 18th meeting between the Guardians and Tigers in 2024. The Guardians took the season series 7-6 and the two teams have been evenly matched in a competitive playoff series.

There are no secrets left for the Tigers or Guardians to spring on each other and will come down to who can make one more play on Saturday.

“We know what we are going to get, they know what they are going to get,” Greene said. “I mean, we’ve seen each other so many times that we know what’s gonna happen. It’s just a matter of, who gets that big hit?”

The Guardians and Tigers have both heavily utilized their bullpens (with Detroit taking it to extremes), turned to key pinch-hit at-bats leading to game-winning hits in Games 2 and 4 and tweaked starting lineups to try to contend with starting pitching.

“I don’t see why tomorrow would be any different,” Hinch said.

Skubal ready for big moment

The Tigers have Skubal going tomorrow and are confident in their left-handed ace to show up again in a big moment.

“He’s going to handle it like the pro that he is and attack the strike zone and attack the hitters,” Hinch said. “He loves competition. He’s into it as much as anybody that I’ve ever put on the mound. And nobody better to give the ball to on the mound in this game than Tarik.”

Skubal has pitched 13 scoreless innings in two starts this postseason, leading to Tigers’ wins in both games. He started Game 2 of the ALDS and threw seven scoreless innings, eventually setting up a dramatic ninth-inning win.

On top of his ability as a pitcher — Skubal won the AL’s pitching Triple Crown this season — Hinch said he lifts the team and instills confidence in the whole roster. It was evident in the Tigers clubhouse Thursday, as every player said they were confident in Skubal pulling out a Game 5 win.

“I know how important every game is to him and I know what it means to send him out to the mound for the confidence in our team,” Hinch said. “He’s going to handle it like a pro.”

Skubal said the respect he’s earned in the clubhouse hasn’t gone unnoticed and is emblematic of the roster’s selfless approach.

“It means a lot coming from them,” Skubal said. “And I think that’s just kind of who we are as a time. We got to battle every single day, we are young, we want it more than anybody so it’ll be a ton of fun.”

Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city’s professional teams, the state’s two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22, and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.

DETROIT – Are the Detroit Tigers magic? It may seem like a wild question, but when the Tigers are doing good, the city as a whole seems to be doing good.

How Detroit became the City of Champions

In 1935, the Tigers won its first World Series. They had been in prior World Series championships, but this was their first win. They went into the 1935 World Series against the Chicago Cubs, who had won 21 consecutive games the month prior — a record that remained unbroken until 2021.

The Tigers ultimately defeated the Cubs on their sixth game, 4-3. The final game was played at Navin Field, which was renamed Tiger Stadium just a few years later.

It was the first time a major sports team out of Detroit won a championship — but it would not be the last.

When the Tigers won the World Series in their hometown, it was the middle of the Great Depression and Detroit was not doing great financially. The Tigers’ win boosted city morale and was quickly followed by the Lions winning the 1935 NFL Championship two months later at the University of Detroit Stadium. Morale continued to climb, leading to the Red Wings winning their first Stanely Cup in April.

It’s one of the only times in history a city had three major sporting league championships within six months. New York may have done that at some point, but they have like a dozen teams, that doesn’t count. That’s not fair.

This period of time also featured the rise of two other Detroiters who became untouchable in their fields — heavyweight champion Joe Louis and motorboat racing champ Gar Wood, who was the first person to break 100 mph with a boat.

People took notice of Detroit’s success. The Windsor Daily Star called this period “the most amazing sweep of sport achievements ever credited to any single city.”

During the 1936 Cherry Festival, Detroit received a plaque signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and every governor in the country who recognized Detroit as the “City of Champions.”

FDR took time out of his schedule during the middle of the Great Depression to recognize and acknowledge Detroit sports.

April 18 was designated Champions Day in Michigan by then-governor Frank Fitzgerald.

I know I might be putting a lot on the Tigers now, but if they pull this off, they might have that momentum transferred to our other teams. I’m not saying they’re magic, but I am saying that the Tigers might actually be magic.

I’m not ruling it out.

The Cleveland Guardians sent the American League Division Series back to Cleveland for a pivotal Game 5 with a dramatic 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers Thursday night. Tickets are still available for the winner-take-all showdown Saturday night at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

How to get Guardians-Tigers ALDS playoff tickets

Tickets for Game 5 of the American League Division Series are available on secondary ticket sites Vivid Seats, StubHub, SeatGeek and Viagogo.

Current prices for Game 5 are listed below:

• Vivid Seats starting at $142
• StubHub starting at $143
• SeatGeek starting at $155
• Viagogo starting at $165

Other travel options such as hotels and flights are available on Expedia, Travelocity, Booking.com and Hotels.com.

The winner of Game 5 between the Guardians and Tigers will march into the American League Championship Series against the winner of the series between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals (which is in progress at post time). Cleveland’s David Fry hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning and a key insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth to help the Guardians tie the series and send it back to Cleveland.

DETROIT TIGERS VS. CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

2024 AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

SCHEDULE, RESULTS & TV INFO

Game 1: Guardians 7, Tigers 0

Game 2: Tigers 3, Guardians 0

Game 3: Tigers 3, Guardians 0

Game 4: Guardians 5, Tigers 4 (Series tied 2-2)

Game 5: Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians

• When: Saturday, Oct. 12 at 4:38 p.m. ET
• Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
• Tickets: Vivid Seats | StubHub | SeatGeek | Viagogo
• Flights/hotels: Expedia | Travelocity | Booking.com | Hotels.com
• TV channel: TBS
• Live streams: DirecTV Stream (free trial) | Sling (low intro rate) | Max ($9.99+/mo.)