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Detroit Tigers: 5 greatest Justin Verlander performances

By Andy Patton

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 17: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros and the American League during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 17: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros and the American League during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Detroit Tigers
BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 06: Justin Verlander #35 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 6, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

5/7/11 Det vs. TOR No-Hitter

9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 90 Game Score

Verlander has two no-hitters in his excellent career. His first came in 2007 (more on that later) and his second one came in his Cy Young and MVP winning 2011 campaign. Verlander set the tone early that season, throwing the no-hitter in just his eighth game of the season.

The game was uninteresting otherwise, as the Tigers scored three in the third and three more in the fourth on a pair of home runs from Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila. The game was already out of reach, but the question remained: Will JV get a perfect game? Verlander retired the first 22 batters in a row, and excitement was building.

With one out in the eighth inning however, the perfect game hopes were dashed when Verlander walked catcher J.P. Arencibia. An inning ending double-play followed, and Verlander went 1-2-3 in the ninth inning. While it doesn’t go down as a perfect game, Verlander did face the absolute minimum of 27 batters in a single game – a rare feat in itself.

Verlander went on to post a 2.08 ERA for the rest of the season, holding hitters to a .187 batting average. This game remains the closest Verlander has ever come to a perfect game, and is a solid addition to our list.

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