Verlander reaches back to stifle Phillies

DETROIT — Justin Verlander’s 107th pitch Tuesday night came in at 97 mph, leaving Odubel Herrera struggling to foul it off for an 0-2 count. Verlander’s 108th and final pitch came in just as fast, and Herrera couldn’t catch up, yielding Verlander’s 10th strikeout as the crowd roared at Comerica Park.

“I had a pretty good idea that was it,” Verlander said, “so I kind of let the rest of the gas out of the tank.”

Fans stayed on their feet to applaud Verlander on his way into the dugout, his scoreless performance preserved through eight innings of three-hit ball in an eventual 3-1 Tigers win over the Phillies.

It looked like a scene out of 2011, maybe 2012, when games like this were a regular summer attraction every five days. Verlander could tune up his velocity whenever he wanted back then. The more veteran Verlander is supposed to find ways to keep hitters off-balance, create deception and hit his spots for strikeouts.

Verlander’s success wasn’t the surprise Tuesday night, not the way he’s been pitching in May. It was the way he did it. Verlander challenged the Phillies with his fastball, challenged them early and late. Whenever he needed to make a pitch, it was …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com