NewsVerlander fans 11 in win against Tribe
Right-hander rewrites personal history to dominate
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
05/03/09 5:59 PM ET
DETROIT -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland says it's in his history to load the bases with an intentional walk, all the way back to the Minor League managerial days. So when Justin Verlander had runners on second and third in the seventh inning of Sunday's tie game, Leyland didn't hesitate, even though it meant a bases-loaded, no-out situation.It backfired on Leyland plenty of times in the Minor Leagues, he said. Verlander made it sure it didn't Sunday.
"To me, it's a development [for a player]," Leyland said after Verlander's seven innings of one-run ball eventually earned Detroit a 3-1 win over Cleveland.
"When a guy gets here, he should be able to throw strikes. And if you put him in that spot and load the bases, he's supposed to be able to throw strikes. Sometimes in the Minor Leagues, it would backfire time after time, but you're sending the right message: 'This is what you've got to do.' I think that's real important."
Verlander's development has been a well-publicized process the last couple years. Sunday felt more like a reinforcement to the Tigers, and a proclamation to the rest of the league: Verlander is back.
"That's probably the best we've seen him," Indians manager Eric Wedge said.
Six days earlier, Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira called Verlander's last performance, "by far the best I've seen him."
And as Matt LaPorta saw Verlander's 100 mph fastball with the bases loaded and one out in LaPorta's big league debut, he wasn't going to argue.
As much as early season momentum seemed to go against Verlander last year, he has spent the last couple weeks picking up speed the other way. But Sunday's seventh-inning jam -- and Verlander's way out of it -- felt more like a leap.
It wasn't just the situation, but the opponent. Verlander owned a 4-10 career record and 6.70 ERA against Cleveland, which accounted for five of his 17 losses last year. The Indians hit just .237 against Verlander last season, but turned those hits into runs.
Sunday's seventh inning looked finally the same, with two runners on in a 1-1 battle with reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee. When Shin-Soo Choo drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on Mark DeRosa's double, Leyland had David Dellucci intentionally walked, even though Dellucci struck out both of his previous times up.
Verlander, despite 109 pitches, wasn't thinking quick outs as Kelly Shoppach stepped in. At first, Verlander was simply thinking Leyland might pull him.
"A lot of times, they'll leave a guy in there to intentionally walk and then take [him] out," Verlander said. "So I was thinking, 'Don't take me out, don't take me out, don't take me out.' Once I looked over and didn't see him coming out of the dugout, that's when I just kind of focused in and said, 'All right, here we go. Let's get this guy.'"
In fact, Verlander said, he started thinking about striking out everybody. Shoppach ruined those plans, but all the Tribe catcher did with the 98-mph high fastball was pop out to shallow right.
Verlander wasn't thinking first-pitch outs, but he would take them.
"I think that allowed me to finish the seventh," Verlander said. "If [Shoppach] has a battle at-bat, and I'm up to 115-120 [pitches] before the first out of the inning's made, even if the guy from third doesn't score, that leaves Skip in a pretty hairy situation [to decide] whether to leave me out there."
Said Leyland: "I thought the first out was the biggest, because it put pressure on the kid."
That kid was LaPorta, the top prospect making his debut. He struggled to catch up with Verlander all afternoon, so both Verlander and catcher Dane Sardinha thought the same plan.
"I looked up at the [scoreboard] one time," LaPorta said, "and it said 100 mph. And it's like, 'Gosh!'"
LaPorta took the first two before fouling off three in a row. All were at 99 mph or higher, but LaPorta began catching up. The Tigers' battery was ready for it.
"Once he starts cheating, we'll throw curveballs," Sardinha said. "I don't think he was looking for it. It caught him by surprise."
Verlander missed in the dirt with the first curve, but spotted the second on the inside corner for his 11th strikeout.
"We were pretty much on the same page the whole day," Verlander said.
Verlander and Sardinha had the same plan for just-recalled infielder Luis Valbuena, who fouled off back-to-back fastballs go into an 0-2 hole.
Verlander's 120th pitch of the day hit 99 mph. His 121st was an 85-mph breaking ball that Valbuena grounded to second to end the inning.
"I didn't leave anything on the field, that's for sure," Verlander said.
Once Sardinha and Granderson hit back-to-back doubles leading off the bottom half of the inning against Lee, then Detroit's bullpen took over, they ensured Verlander (2-2) wouldn't leave without a win.
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
