MLB Playoffs: The 5 Keys to a Game 5 Detroit Tigers Victory

A classic October moment is upon us.

The gritty Detroit Tigers battle the glamorous New York Yankees for the right to compete against the Texas Rangers in the ALCS.

Two of the three most talented teams in the American League have played an interesting, element-aided series that is coming down to the wire.

Conventional wisdom would tell you that the Yankees are in the driver's seat, but the reverse was true in the Yankees' Game 4 victory.

There's no way to predict who will win, but if it's going to be the Detroit Tigers, here are five things that must happen.

1.Get the Crowd out of It Early

In the continuation of Game 1 on Saturday, Ivan Nova was able to shut the Tigers down early while the Yankees eventually got to Doug Fister.

Much like Game 4, eventually the bottom fell out and the Tigers found themselves in a hopeless comeback situation.

While the Yankees franchise no doubt has the strongest fanbase in all of pro sports (well, maybe Manchester U does, but soccer sucks), the stadiumgoers have traditionally tended to be too rich to cheer. That wasn't the case in Game 1, and during the Yankees mild comeback attempts at Game 2.

Since most fans at Yankee stadium need to prove a net worth of $5 million before buying a beer, it was surprising to see how loud the fans got. It must have been $10 hot dog night.

2. Feed off the Underdog Status

While the Yankees will be a mild favorite in Game 5, overall, it's tough to argue that the Yankees are the better team. These teams are fairly matched talent-wise as evidenced by their 6-5 overall season series in the Tigers' favor.

Saying the Tigers are an underdog has about as much clout as saying Sarah Palin is succeeding in politics because of her congressional knowledge.

That doesn't mean the Tigers can't feed off this label. Gritty performances from guys like Don Kelly, Brandon Inge and Ramon Santiago have gotten the Tigers in the position to have a shot and help feed the perception.

Most likely the entire non-Yankee fanbase in the country will be rooting for the Tigers thinking they truly are the David to the Yankees Goliath. The Tigers should feed off this, and dig deep to get the little things done they failed to do in Game 4.

3. Get a Bounce Back Start from Doug Fister

I know it didn't show it in Game 1, but Doug Fister is a better starter than Ivan Nova.

Nova had a good season, Fister had an excellent season. 

In fact, a quick look at Fister's numbers show that if he hadn't been mired in Mariners Hell for three quarters of a season and pitched for a team that actually scored a run this year, he would have been a dark-horse Cy Young candidate.

He was fourth in the AL in ERA at 2.83, and sixth in the AL in WHIP at 1.06.

He pitched amazing baseball for the Tigers down the stretch, and needs to limit the damage the potent Yankees lineup incurs. He's been a gamer and shown he loves playing for this team. 

Tonight, Fister's got a chance to already place himself in Tigers playoff lore.

4. Be Patient at the Plate

I know the Tigers tried this in Game 4 against A.J. Burnett.

They looked at more meatballs than an Olive Garden chef on Tuesday night so you'd think they should reverse ways and be aggressive today.

Not the case.

Ivan Nova will walk you. He has the fourth-lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio in the American League. The worst is the Tigers own Brad Penny.

After a season of seeing Penny pitch, I know the Tigers batters have a shot against anyone lumped in with him.

On Saturday, the Tigers started the game with their lefty lineup due to Friday's suspension, and got out of the gates very slow.

With the righty lineup in there from the get-go, they can make Ivan Nova work early and keep him from getting his confidence up again.

5. Have Jim Leyland Work His Magic

The Wizard of Woodward has had perhaps his best season of his career.

Jim Leyland took a team stuck in neutral and got them turned around in plenty of time to blow their AL Central competitors out of the water.

He's done best in this series when going with his gut.

Pitching Joaquin Benoit two innings in Game 2 preserved a victory. The insertion of Ramon Santiago and Brandon Inge into the Game 3 lineup was greeted with with as much fanfare as a tax hike, but it paid dividends as the offensively-challenged dynamic duo carried the Tigers offense against CC Sabathia.

It appears that Leyland may have finally given into media and fan pressure by playing his arch-nemesis, Wilson Betemit, in Game 4. Betemit rewarded him with an effort reminiscent of a Demi Moore movie.

Go with your gut Leyland. He's made the right call the majority of the time despite doubters and it's paid off all season. 

Let's see if he can shock the world. Well, at least everyone outside of Detroit.