#3: Justin Verlander on the Mound
Verlander has proven his value to the Detroit Tigers and baseball, too. When it comes to playoff baseball, Verlander turns it up another notch. This was evident in the 2012 ALDS when the Tigers faced the Oakland Athletics. Verlander pitched in Game One and Game Five.
After giving up a home run to Coco Crisp in the first inning in Game One, Verlander shut down the A’s in every other inning. Keeping in mind that Verlander had just won the Cy Young in 2011, his performance in the ALDS against the Athletics cemented his place as one of the best pitchers ever to toe the rubber. His ERA in the series against the A’s was all of 0.56 in 16 innings with 12.4 strike-outs per nine.
It is a shame that JV doesn’t have a World Series ring in his collection.