The 2006 AL Rookie of the Year came back with the game of his career, striking out 12. He benefited from several stellar defensive plays, the best by Neifi Perez, who turned a possible single up the middle in the eighth into an inning-ending double play.
Verlander (7-2) worked around four walks in the Tigers’ first no-hitter since Jack Morris in 1984.
The 24-year-old trotted to the mound for the ninth to a standing ovation from the crowd of 33,555.
“I had way too much adrenaline, to be honest,” Verlander said.
Amped up, he struck out Counsell and Tony Graffanino. That brought up J.J. Hardy, and Verlander had a momentary lapse, throwing a high breaking ball. At that point, Verlander stepped off the mound.
“I said, ‘Let’s get it back down,”‘ he said.
Verlander then got Hardy to lift a high fly ball that right fielder Magglio Ordonez caught at the edge of the warning track.
Verlander didn’t even see the ball settle into Ordonez’s glove.
“I wanted to watch the catch, but Pudge was yelling in my ear,” he said.
Catcher Ivan Rodriguez was already at the mound and hugged Verlander as the pitcher wheeled around.
Verlander was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2006.
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