Puddy Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Unparalleled Verlander coming into his own By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports Jun 30, 9:12 pm EDT tweet16EmailPrintThis is Justin Verlander(notes), our Nolan Ryan, our Tom Seaver. He’s a fastball with fuzz, a curveball on a joystick, a changeup with a parachute. He’s a three-day beard, a nine-game winning streak, a no-hitter alert from the moment the lineup is posted. He’s an abrupt end to two days of fat fastballs, 38 hits and 30 runs, and a line of New York Mets crawling over each other to get into the batter’s box. More From Tim BrownMcCourt's proposed media rights auction dashed Jun 28, 2011 McCourt's control in hands of judge Jun 28, 2011 Justin Verlander has won his last seven starts dating back to May 29, pitching at least seven innings each time. (Getty Images) He’s a breather for eight relievers over two games, for 249 pitches out of the bullpen alone, for a two-game losing streak that, by Wednesday night, must have felt like eight. And that’s Verlander on a day his fastball lacked its usual precision and attitude, and the strike zone jumped around some, and his slider might just as well have been kicked toward the catcher. On Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park, having watched uncomfortably as the Mets went for 14 and 16 runs in the first two games of the series (and likely having heard they’d gone for 22 in the two games before that), Verlander narrowed his eyes, took the ball and turned them all into Mets again. He wouldn’t require his no-hitter command (May 7), or his 14-strikeout fastball (Saturday). Just his resoluteness. Just his feel for the ball and the job and the moment. In the aftermath of his second career no-hitter seven weeks ago, when he came within a single walk of perfection, Verlander had called it “coming into myself as a pitcher,” which was to say, at 28, he’d not simply thrown a no-hitter, but pitched it. “In the past, I’d still get away with it because of my stuff,” he said before a recent game in Los Angeles. “My stuff has always been, you know, really good. My success in the past was pretty much based on that. And I felt like that game, in particular, the no-hitter, kind of authenticated what I was speaking about.” Not that there’s anything wrong with a 100-mph fastball, feathered with parabolic curves and plodding changeups. A man could piece together a reasonable career and buy a few homes with a lot less. Verlander had his heart set on much more, however. So he finishes June with six wins, no losses and a 0.92 ERA. After the first three months of the season, he’s now 11-3 with a 2.32 ERA. So, on an afternoon where he had to step over the tongues of Detroit Tigers relievers to get to the mound, he threw 98 pitches through five innings, and a major league high 2,099 through 82 games, and holds a four-run lead, and still pitches through the seventh. That might not seem so heroic, but in 2011, half the game’s starting pitchers would have wondered if the bullpen door had been soldered shut. In a 5-2 win, the difference between Verlander and his smaller-hearted brethren is a 12-pitch sixth and a 10-pitch seventh, two more zeroes, one more trip through the Mets’ four through nine hitters, 120 pitches overall, and something like composure at the end of an otherwise jarring series. Justin Verlander tried to keep things light with teammate Magglio Ordonez during Wednesday’s 16-9 loss to the Mets. (AP) His catcher, Alex Avila(notes), described Verlander the pitcher as a creation of experience and stuff, of wisdom and wherewithal, in a manner of speaking, who then possessed the resolve, “to make them at times bigger than the game.” “His stuff,” Avila said, “is so much better than really anybody in baseball.” Broader still, you consider Verlander’s body of work, how he carries himself into a game and out of it, and the pure mechanics and the product of them. If the next three months of the season look anything like the first three, he’ll pass 100 career wins in August. At the end of their first 28 years, Greg Maddux had 131 wins, Roger Clemens 134 wins, Seaver 135 wins, and Tom Glavine(notes) 108 wins. They maintained their arms, stretched their mound intellect, pitched a couple more innings when they had to, and finished their careers with more than 300 wins. “I’ve never shied away from the fact that the only real goal I have is to be a Hall of Famer when I’m done,” Verlander said. “If that happens, most of the other things, the individual things, those will take care of themselves. I just go out there and pitch. “But,” he added with a grin, “as competitive as I am, you hear someone say no one will ever win 300 games again, that makes me want to go out and do it.” So he’ll pile pitches upon pitches, innings upon innings, and wins upon wins. Someday they may add up to something big. Really big. In the meantime, he’ll take a Thursday afternoon in downtown Detroit, the hottest lineup in the league and three hours, then see if he can’t be just slightly bigger than that game. This is Justin Verlander. “Guys like him,” Avila said, “they don’t come around too often.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawks21 Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 It would be kinda fun if both he and Weaver are lighting it up the rest of the way. The CY Young race could be between two guys with sub 2 ERA's. Not sub 3, sub 2. Ridiculous How long has it been since that has happened? Bring back the roids!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 So, on an afternoon where he had to step over the tongues of Detroit Tigers relievers to get to the mound, he threw 98 pitches through five innings, and a major league high 2,099 through 82 games, He is awesome, but those are scary use stats. This from someone who watched Dusty Baker blow up both Prior and Wood with massive innings in 2003 and they were never the same again (although Prior had his share of other issues that finished him). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 He is awesome, but those are scary use stats. This from someone who watched Dusty Baker blow up both Prior and Wood with massive innings in 2003 and they were never the same again (although Prior had his share of other issues that finished him). Yep...but there are some guys who are just thoroughbreds and the work doesnt' affect them. He's been piling up the innings for several years now. He has become a smarter pitcher who doesn't necessarily try to overpower guys early in the game. Dude is throwing 98 mph in the 8th and 9th innings on pitch 120. Hope he stays strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I :heart: Lamp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 (edited) I :heart: Lamp I think he's marginal at best. Only one season with the Pirates. Man you do love players from your teams. Edited July 15, 2011 by Puddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I think he's marginal at best. Only one season with the Pirates. May you do love players from your teams. Brick Tamland: I love... carpet. [pause] Brick Tamland: I love... desk. Ron Burgundy: Brick, are you just looking at things in the office and saying that you love them? Brick Tamland: I love lamp. Ron Burgundy: Do you really love the lamp, or are you just saying it because you saw it? Brick Tamland: I love lamp. I love lamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfv87 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 JV looked dominant last night vs my twins... He froze Thome with a curve that was filthy then blew away Nishy with a 98 MPH heater... There are so few really dominant #1 pitchers out there now, when you see one they stand out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 My girlfriend's son played little league with him so we've kinda followed his career. His dad coached and did the classic favored son bit so much - can't argue that it (literally) paid off though. Having heck of a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Justin Verlander wins the MVP award!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Justin Verlander wins the MVP award!! Much deserved. He had a heck of a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Much deserved. He had a heck of a year. agreed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 agreed +1. I assume he'll take the Cy Young too. Matt Kemp should pick up the NL MVP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 +1. I assume he'll take the Cy Young too. he did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 he did Ah. Missed that when I was away last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Couch Potatoe Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 +1. I assume he'll take the Cy Young too. Matt Kemp should pick up the NL MVP Or Braun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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