Feisty Tigers refuse to fold

The Detroit Tigers had their backs to the wall all night but battled to a thrilling 8-6 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday to stave off elimination and force a deciding Game 5 in their American League Division Series.

The tense victory over the visiting A's tied the best-of-five series at 2-2 and set up a do-or-die showdown in Oakland on Thursday, with the prize for the winner a berth in the AL Championship Series.

"We just kept battling away and battling away and we finally got some huge hits," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland.

"This is really a very good series. We're going back to Oakland and find out what happens."

Detroit overcame a 3-0 deficit with a three-run home run in the fifth inning by Jhonny Peralta, and then came back from 4-3 down in the seventh on a home run by Victor Martinez and a broken bat RBI single by Austin Jackson that put it ahead 5-4.

The Tigers looked set to fall behind once again in the eighth as Game 1 starter Max Scherzer, pitching in relief of Doug Fister, found himself mired in a bases-loaded, no-out jam.

Scherzer, who was credited with the win, struck out Josh Reddick and Stephen Vogt, then retired pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo on a line- out to center to protect the one-run lead and send the nervous Comerica Park fans into delirium.

"That was one of the greatest feelings I ever had," said Scherzer, who stormed into the Detroit dugout, dishing out high-fives as he was mobbed by teammates.

The Tigers added three runs in the bottom of the eighth for some much-needed breathing room but Oakland still had some fight left and scored a pair of runs in the ninth on a single by Yoenis Cespedes.

Detroit's Joaquin Benoit then struck out potential tying run Seth Smith for the final out to seal the win.

A's manager Bob Melvin did not think his team had let the win slip through its fingers.

"They've got a good offensive club and you've got to finish it out for nine innings," he said.

"Just because you have a lead doesn't mean you're going to win the game."

Oakland jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, scoring in the first inning after Coco Crisp's lead-off triple, and adding two more runs in the fifth on a homer by Jed Lowrie.

Peralta only rejoined the Tigers for the playoffs after serving a 50-game doping suspension and he tied the contest with his three-run blast in the bottom of the fifth.

After an RBI single by Crisp off Scherzer in the seventh put the A's back in front 4-3, Detroit responded in the bottom half.

Martinez, who had a foul-mouthed flare-up with Oakland's animated closer Grant Balfour on Monday, tied it with his home run.

(China Daily 10/10/2013 page22)