Justin Verlander lives up to his prediction, delivering another gem

11:57 PM ET

DETROIT — On May 3, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander sent out the following tweet to his 718,000 followers on Twitter following a poor start in Cleveland:

I’m going to dominate soon! I’m close. Doubt me if you want… We’ll see. #gotigers

— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) May 4, 2016

Whether this was Verlander’s version of calling his shot, or just an example of keyboard confidence, his message went viral on the popular social media website.

Surely, there were some Tigers fans heartened by his buoyant confidence. Most certainly, there were others filing it away in case he couldn’t live up to the brazen proclamation. Verlander didn’t care either way. He felt sure of himself, and he wasn’t shy about sharing it with others.

“It’s not the first time I’ve done that. I did it in 2009, too. I just didn’t have Twitter then,” Verlander said with a smile. “It’s just kind of a feeling that you have. And I tweeted exactly what I felt. I felt like I was close. I felt like it was one pitch here and there that if I just tightened it up. I was getting the reactions from hitters that I wanted to see. It was just one big spot here and there. I felt more and more consistent every time I took the mound. And so that’s why I said what I did.”

That faith has been vindicated.

Justin Verlander pitched eight shutout innings on Tuesday, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 10. AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

In the weeks following that tweet, Verlander has made four …

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