The Boston Red Sox hope Thursday night’s ALCS game will be the final contest played at Comerica Park in 2013. The Detroit Tigers hope to be back home six days from now to welcome the National League champ for the opening of the World Series.
After Game 5 of the ALCS, the series returns to Boston, where the champ will be crowned. But first, the Tigers and Red Sox will play for the right to fly East with a 3-2 series lead.
Here are the five things you need to know about Game 5:
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Years in the making
Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez may have caught some people by surprise when he pitched six hitless innings in the first game of the ALCS. On a team featuring Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, it’s possible to get overshadowed, even if you have the lowest ERA in the league.
But Sanchez has been shutting down MLB lineups for years. Only 15 pitchers have a lower ERA than the right-hander’s 3.55 mark since his 2006 debut (minimum 1000 innings).
Dominant starting pitching
Tigers starters have pitched at a Cy Young level against the best offence in baseball during the ALCS.
One time through Detroit’s playoff rotation, Sanchez, Verlander, Max Scherzer and Doug Fister have combined to post a 1.00 ERA in 27 innings. They’ve struck out 42 while allowing just 14 hits and 10 walks.
Even if the Tigers can’t sustain this—and no pitching staff could— it’s been impressive to see one of baseball’s top rotations at its best.
Red Sox also efficient in playoffs
Nine years after Dave Roberts earned a permanent spot in Red Sox lore by stealing second base in the 2004 ALCS, swiping bags remains an important element of Boston’s offence.
The Red Sox are two-for-two in stolen base attempts this series after stealing at an exceptionally efficient rate during the regular season. The Red Sox were successful on 87 per cent of their attempts (123 steals in 142 tries), considerably better than the MLB average of 73 per cent.
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Fielder not hitting
Prince Fielder has just one double, two singles and a walk in four games. The Tigers could use some serious power production from the left-handed hitting first baseman, though he has never homered against Red Sox Game 5 starter Jon Lester.
Even after a down year in which Fielder fell short of the 30-home run plateau for the first time since 2006, he’s capable of more offence than he has provided against Boston so far.
Lineup changes
Tigers manager Jim Leyland re-shaped his lineup Wednesday, moving centre fielder Austin Jackson out of the leadoff spot, and batting Miguel Cabrera second for the first time since 2004. It worked, as the Tigers scored more than five runs for the first time in the ALCS.
So will Leyland hold onto the lineup card as a memento to the Tigers’ win?
“I’ll throw it away,” he said. “Unless I can sell it at some bar on the way home.”
