Tigers back in ALCS

OAKLAND, Calif.—Miguel Cabrera danced on a chair in one corner of the visiting clubhouse, puffing a cigar.
Prince Fielder doused his young sons, Jadyn and Haven, with non-alcoholic sparkling wine, then handed them each a bottle to shake and spray.

Just when the celebration seemed to be ending, Justin Verlander ran through the door and screamed “Whoo!”
On the mound and in the clubhouse, Verlander made sure Detroit’s post-season party wasn’t over yet.
The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner and MVP backed up his credentials in the biggest moment of the season last night, throwing a four-hitter in the decisive Game 5 to get the Tigers back to the AL championship series for a second-straight year with a 6-0 victory over the overachieving Oakland Athletics.
“This is where legends are made,” said catcher Alex Avila.
“Tonight, he basically put us on his back and said, ‘We’re not going to lose.’”
Verlander delivered in the division series a day after closer Jose Valverde failed to hold a two-run lead in the ninth that pushed Detroit to the brink after jumping out to a 2-0 series lead back home.
Verlander gave Valverde—and every other arm—the night off.
The right-hander tossed his first career post-season shutout and complete game with a 122-pitch masterpiece. He struck out 11 and walked one.
“He had a look in his eye today,” said manager Jim Leyland. “A complete-game look in his eye.”
The Tigers flew back to Detroit to see if they will face either the N.Y. Yankees or Baltimore Orioles. That series is tied at 2-2 heading into Game 5 today in New York.
Game 1 of the ALCS is scheduled for Saturday.
If Baltimore wins, it will start in Detroit. Otherwise the Motown crew is headed to the Big Apple.
“These moments you can’t even describe. But it does get better every round, and we want that feeling,” said Tigers’ general manager Dave Dombrowski, his white-shirt soaked in bubbly.
“We’ve felt this before. We want that even better feeling.”
Verlander made sure they’ll have a chance.
He was so sharp nobody in the bullpen ever got up to throw. Verlander struck out 22 in his wins on both ends of this nail-biting series, and saved his best for last.
After the Tigers squandered two chances to clinch the series, including blowing a two-run, ninth-inning lead in Game 4, Leyland left it all up to Verlander—just as he said he would.
“I think it’s one of those things I expected to go nine innings,” Verlander said.
“In this situation, in a Game 5, I wanted to go all the way.”
Austin Jackson hit an RBI double in the third and a run-scoring single during a four-run seventh. Fielder also had an RBI single.