Justin Verlander Near No-Hitter: Strikes and Gutters
By Mike Cardillo
Justin Verlander came within a couple inches of his third career no-hitter Wednesday night vs. the Angels. More specifically, Chris Iannetta doubled down the line to lead off the ninth inning to break up the bid. Verlander still needed to retire Iannetta and record the final two outs for a no-no, so technically he took a no-hitter into the ninth.
Admittedly that’s splitting hairs and Verlander finished with a one-hit shutout, which is music to Tigers’ fans ears such as my own.
No-hitters have lost some of their panache in 2015 sports, but Verlander throwing another one would have been special. The list of pitchers with more than two on their resumé — Larry Corcoran, Cy Young, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan — is short, so as a fan it would have been cool to see Verlander to accomplish it. Verlander came close to no-hitter No. 3 vs. the Pirates in 2012, only for Josh Harrison to break it up with one out in the ninth. He missed a perfect game vs. the Blue Jays in 2012 via a full count walk issued to J.P. Arencibia in the eighth inning, so Iannetta’s double likely felt eerily familiar for Verlander.
A no-hitter certainly would’ve qualified as the Tigers 2015 season highlight given how the lost season in Detroit is unfolding. Wednesday night’s performance from Verlander still might qualify for that distinction. Verlander’s first complete game since Oct. 11 vs. the Athletics in the ALDS — needing only 105 pitches to do so — is newsworthy for the Tigers in and of itself.
It was only a couple weeks ago in this very space I worried about Verlander’s future — mostly tied to the $112 million Detroit owes him through 2019 — and a career trajectory resembling that of a journeyman fourth starter coming off a Spring Training triceps injury vs. the guy who won the Cy Young and MVP in 2011.
If the natural inclination is to freak out when Verlander’s ERA balloons toward seven, then the normal reaction to last night’s performance is to wonder if he’s “back” … an impossible question to answer from behind a keyboard. (Maybe we can consult Tiger Woods for his advice on this topic.)
After the game Verlander offered up this excellent quote to the Detroit Free Press’s Anthony Fenech:
"“I don’t think this is a throwback,” Verlander said recently. “This is the pitcher that I am.”"
That’s a nice quote and goes to once again show that the mentality of professional athletes is almost diametrically opposed to those who are paid to watch sports or those who choose to watch sports in their free time. If athletes themselves freaked out the way the media or fans do after a poor performance, they wouldn’t last too long.
As The Dude told The Stranger, “strikes and gutters, man.”
Verlander’s certainly had his own ups and downs, staying mostly zen about it. It’s still a fair question to ask which pitcher the 32-year-old former Cy Young winner is going into the future. Is he the guy who amassed a pedestrian 3.99 ERA in 424 1/3 innings over 2013 and 2014? Or is he the guy with a 1.50 ERA in 36 innings this August, striking out a batter per inning, while holding opponents to a 1.77 batting average?
It’s clear which version Verlander thinks he is when he’s on the mound.
Given the fractured state of the Tigers post-Max Scherzer starting pitching staff, Detroit fans like myself will happily settle for something in the middle. If nothing else, a revived Verlander gives forlorn Tigers fans something to care about every fifth day.
[Photo via USA Today Sports Images]