No changing of guard as Verlander bests Thor

DETROIT — Justin Verlander has insisted for years that he doesn’t pitch against the other team’s starter, no matter how good the other pitcher is. As an American League pitcher, he’s factually correct. As competitive as Verlander is, though, it has always been difficult to believe.

“No, I mean, I’ve had plenty of games facing off against somebody who’s superb,” Verlander said on Friday. “I think through my career, you learn to shut out the noise, and go out there and pitch.”

After Verlander outpitched Noah Syndergaard a 4-3 Tigers win, manager Brad Ausmus wasn’t so sure.

“Ver, I think, feeds off that type of stuff,” Ausmus said. “The more attention that’s paid to a particular game or matchup, whether it’s him versus Syndergaard or him versus Chris Sale, his concentration goes up to another notch. He wants to beat that guy. Even though they don’t actually face each other in the American League, he wants to beat that guy or walk off the field with the lead. …

“When he was young, it was [about] raw stuff. But he always had that competitor in him, and I think that’ll carry him down the road even farther.”

Before the game, Ausmus called the matchup a meeting of old versus new guard, though he hesitated to call …

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