CLEVELAND — Kerry Carpenter didn't let a hamstring injury keep him from playing in Detroit's biggest game. There was no alternative.
He gave everything he had for the Tigers.
Pushing through on adrenaline, Carpenter delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in the fifth inning before the Cleveland Guardians stormed back to win Game 5 of their AL Division Series, 7-3 over the Tigers on Saturday.
"These guys in the clubhouse are pretty much who I fight for," Carpenter said. "If I could go, I wanted to go for them. That was the driving reason I wanted to be here for this team — if I could contribute."
While Carpenter came through once, he also struck out swinging with the bases loaded in a big spot as the Tigers' memorable season — they went 35-16 after Aug. 10 — ended with a loss to their division rivals.
Detroit's first postseason appearance since 2013 was still special, and Carpenter was one of the biggest reasons.
The 27-year-old Carpenter, who missed three months with a back injury, hit a three-run homer in Game 2 off All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase as the Tigers evened the series with the Guardians.
"There's only one team that doesn't have this pit in your stomach at the end of the year," manager A.J. Hinch said. "We were the next one to go through it. ... Seasons end fast, you know, when you're in the middle of this sprint race through the playoffs and come up a little bit short."
After receiving round-the-clock treatment, Carpenter came off the bench and delivered for the Tigers again in Game 5.
In the fifth, he laced his single into right-center field off rookie Andrew Walters to score Trey Sweeney, who walked to open the inning.
On his way to first, Carpenter favored his leg, limping like Kirk Gibson did when he connected for his famous homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Tigers were hoping Carpenter could help in the win-or-else series finale. After his single, he pumped his fists at his teammates celebrating in the dugout.
"I know how uncomfortable it was for him," Hinch said. "He came up really big with that spot and was able to squeeze three at-bats from him on a day where when I got to the ballpark, I didn't know if he would do anything.
"And so for that, our training staff did an incredible job. Carp gutted it out and was available for how I used him."
Carpenter got injured while running the bases in Game 4 on Thursday night.
The quick turnaround — and MLB's decision to move the starting time up seven hours, citing a chance of inclement weather — didn't give him much recovery time.
"I knew he was able to do one of two things," Hinch said. "If I got him in the DH spot, he could stay in the DH spot and go base to base, albeit uncomfortably. If I hit him in a different spot, then his day was over.
"So the debate in my head going into the game was where is the big at-bat going to come where you either need to extend your lead, get a lead, come from behind or whatever."
There was no score when Carpenter, who bats from the left side, replaced designated hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy, a right-handed hitter. Carpenter went to the plate again in the sixth with Detroit down 5-2, and he struck out swinging against Hunter Gaddis — leaving the bases loaded.
He also struck out swinging against Clase with a runner on second in the eighth.
