Grand Slam edges the Guardians over the Tigers in the ALDS and sets a date with the Yankees for the American League pennant

The magic is over for the Detroit Tigers.

The Cleveland Guardians won the deciding Game 5 of an ALDS against the Tigers 7-3, returning to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2016.

After both teams traded zeroes for four innings, Detroit opened the scoring in the fifth inning with an RBI single from hobbled pinch-hitter Kerry Carpenter, who scored Trey Sweeney from first.

In the bottom half of the inning, likely AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal proved he was human.

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Lane Thomas of the Cleveland Guardians rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam in the fifth inning of Game 5 of a division series against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (Photos by Ben Jackson/MLB via Getty Images)

Skubal loaded the bases with one out and struck out Jose Ramirez to bring home a runner. On the very next pitch, he hit a grand slam on Lane Thomas to give the Guardians a 5-1 lead. It was the first earned run Skubal had allowed since September 18th.

However, Detroit did not go quietly. Jake Rogers had an RBI single in the sixth, but the Tigers missed a chance when Carpenter struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning. In the seventh, Colt Keith's RBI double made it a 5-3 game, but with a man on second, Wenceel Perez and Spencer Torkelson struck out.

While Emmanuel Clase was warming up in the bottom of the seventh, Thomas hit an RBI single for good measure. Steven Kwan scored after recording his third straight three-goal game. Through 12 career postseason games, he is now a .392 hitter, although he went 0-for-9 in his first two games. Cleveland's No. 9 hitter, Brayan Rocchio, hit an RBI single of his own in the eighth for an added bonus.

Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal reacts after the Guardians' Lane Thomas hits a grand slam in the fifth inning in Game 5 of an ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Junfu Han/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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The dominant Clase came into play in the eighth round. After a lead of four runs emerged in the eighth round, it was anything but automatic. Clase easily got the final six outs. The Guardians are now 76-2 this year, including the postseason, when leading after six innings.

This will be the fourth time since 2017 that the New York Yankees and Cleveland have met in the postseason. The Bronx Bombers won all three of those battles, all of which were either a division or wild card series. This time it will be for a pennant.

The Yankees have a 4-2 record in their six postseason series, dating back to 1997. En route to their historic World Series season, the Yankees won the 1998 ALCS in six games.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas, right, celebrates with outfielder Steven Kwan and third baseman José Ramírez in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers during Game 5 of an ALDS during the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)

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Cleveland won its last appearance in the ALCS eight years ago, but fell to the Chicago Cubs in this year's World Series.

Game 1 of the ALCS takes place on Monday night at 7:37 p.m. ET in the Bronx.

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