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ALDS GAME 5 >> DETROIT AT CLEVELAND, TODAY 1:08 P.M.

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Tigers to play their 10th elimination game; here’s how they’ve fared

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander delivers a pitch in the fourth inning of Game 5 of an American League baseball division series against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013. Verlander was a huge key to the Tigers winning ALDS series in Game 5s in both 2012 and 2013. ASSOCIATED FILE PHOTOS

Detroit Tigers Pitcher Mickey Lolich pours a bottle of champagne on his head in the clubhouse after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 in Game 7 of baseball’s World Series on Oct. 10, 1968. Lolich pitched a five-hitter, throwing shutout ball into the ninth inning to beat Bob Gibson and the Cardinals. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Tony Paul

The Detroit News

DETROIT >> It all comes down to this.

The Tigers and Cleveland Guardians will play a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday night in Cleveland.

The winner moves on to the American League Championship Series to face the New York Yankees, and the loser heads home.

“Oh, we’ll be ready,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Thursday night, following a 5-4 loss in Game 4 at Comerica Park. “Everything that we’ve been playing for up to this point is now going to be on Saturday.

“And I expect them to show up ready to play, too. Why wouldn’t these two teams come with everything they got?”

This will be the 10th winner-take-all postseason game in Tigers history, and they’re 5-4 in the previous nine.

They’ve won their last three, in three consecutive AL Division Series, beginning in 2010-11.Here’s a look back:

1909 World Series, Game 7 (L)

The Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates alternated wins for the first six games of the series, before Pittsburgh took command of Game 7 early at Bennett Park in Detroit against Bill Donovan to give Detroit its first World Series title. Ty Cobb, interestingly just a .262 hitter in 17 career postseason games, went 0-for-4, as the Tigers lost a third consecutive World Series.

1934 World Series, Game 7 (L)

This was Detroit’s first time back to the World Series since 1909, and the Tigers seized control of the series with a 3-2 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. But they dropped Game 6, 4-3, then were blown out in Game 7, 11-0, at Navin Field in Detroit. The Cardinals sent 13 men to the plate in a seven-run third, to beat Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg and Co.

1940 World Series, Game 7 (L)

The Tigers and Cincinnati Reds alternated wins for the first six games before the Reds took the title with a 2-1 win at Crosley Field in Cincinnati with a two-run seventh inning against Tigers pitcher Bobo Newsom. Charlie Gehringer led off the next inning with a single, bringing up Hank Greenberg, who lined out.

1945 World Series, Game 7 (W)

The Tigers lost an 11-inning thriller to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field the day before, but bounced back to win Game 7, 9-3, for the franchise’s second World Series championship. “Prince” Hal Newhouser, future Hall-of-Famer making his third straight in the series, won his second game, with 10 strikeouts, while Paul Richards had two doubles and four RBIs.

1968 World Series, Game 7 (W)

The Tigers dug themselves a huge hole, before rattling off wins in Games 5 and 6 to force a Game 7 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, against Cardinals ace Bob Gibson. Jim Northrup’s three-run triple in the seventh broke a scoreless tie and Mickey Lolich won for the third time, 4-1, as Detroit became just the third team to rally a 3-1 hole to win a World Series.

1972 ALCS, Game 5 (L)

There still were remnants of the 1968 World Series championship team on this Tigers team, which was facing a mighty A’s team and fell behind, 2-0, in the best-of-five series. The Tigers won thrillers in Games 3 and 4, but lost, 2-1, at Tiger Stadium. Reggie Jackson stole home for one run, and Gene Tenace drove in the winner to send the Tigers packing.

2011 ALDS, Game 5 (W)

The Tigers and New York Yankees alternated wins in the first four games, sending the series back to Yankee Stadium for Game 5 — where the Tigers ambushed Ivan Nova in the first inning, with Don Kelly and Delmon Young homering back-to-back in the first inning. Doug Fister was solid starting, and Max Scherzer, Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde closed it for a 3-2 win.

2012 ALDS, Game 5 (W)

The Tigers won the first two games at home, then the A’s won the next two at home — with Game 5 played at the Oakland Coliseum back in the old 2-3 format. Austin Jackson had an RBI double and an RBI single, and Justin Verlander did Justin Verlander things, tossing a complete-game shutout in the 6-0 win. Verlander allowed just four hits and struck out 11.

2013 ALDS, Game 5 (W)

So nice, the Tigers did it twice — fueled by a war of words between Victor Martinez and Grant Balfour near the end of Game 3, the Tigers won Game 4, then headed back to Oakland for Game 5, where Verlander was at his best again, allowing two hits and striking out 10 in eight innings. A hobbling Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer off Sonny Gray in the 3-0 victory.