Detroit Tigers: 5 greatest Justin Verlander performances

Former Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander is returning to the Motor City on Monday. Here are his five greatest performances in Tigers history.

The Detroit Tigers will face Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander on Monday evening at Comerica Park. It will be the first time Verlander has pitched at Comerica Park since he was traded last July for prospects Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron and Jake Rogers.

Verlander went on to help the Astros win the World Series, and he has continued to be one of the best pitchers in the league since then. This season, Verlander is 14-9 with a 2.73 ERA. He is sporting a career-high 11.87 K/9 and a career-low 1.63 BB/9. At age 35, Verlander has shown no signs of slowing down. Similar to how he approaches each game, Verlander appears to be getting better as time goes on.

However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t have some incredible moments in the old english D. In honor of Throwback Thursday and Verlander’s impending appearance in Detroit, here are his five greatest single-game performances in a Tigers uniform.

7/31/11 DET vs. LAA

8 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 83 Game Score

Who remembers this game? Verlander entered the eighth inning with a no-hit bid, his third time doing so in his magical 2011 season. This time, however, Angels shortstop Erick Aybar attempted to bunt in the eighth inning to break up the no-no. Verlander, who rarely loses his cool, couldn’t compose himself well enough and made a throwing error, allowing Aybar to reach second base.

He gave up his one and only hit in the inning to Maicer Izturis, but with a runner on second in a 3-2 game, Verlander calmly(?) brought a couple 100 mile per hour fastballs past Torii Hunter to end the threat.

However, this game is not remembered for Verlander’s near no-hitter as much as it is for the complete meltdown that occurred on the other side of the diamond. While Verlander may have kept his cool when the other team committed a bush league act, Angels ace Jered Weaver could not.

In the third inning, Magglio Ordonez hit a deep fly ball to right field. He couldn’t tell if it was fair or foul, so he watched from the box. Everyone on the field understood that rationale, except Weaver who was incensed by the behavior. In a fun game of poke-the-bear, Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillen took Weaver very deep in the seventh inning. He stayed in the box, and took an angled route so he could stare down Weaver. Weaver, despite the umps warning both sides, threw well over Alex Avila‘s head on the next pitch and was ejected.

It was one of the most exciting and well-remembered games of the season. Verlander’s overall line may be slightly misleading, as he was truly dominant in this one. And in true JV fashion, when things got heated, he calmly took care of the situation. That’s what makes it a signature performance for the future Hall of Famer.

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.

10/10/13 Det vs. OAK ALDS Game 5

8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB,10 K, 87 Game Score

This is the third greatest game Justin Verlander pitched in his Tigers career, and yet it’s not even his best playoff game against the Oakland A’s – but more on that later.

In Game 5 of the ALDS, Verlander took the bump in Oakland to face the A’s, who went 96-66 in the regular season and were currently tied with the Tigers 2-2.

Verlander was absolutely unhittable all night, tossing eight shutout innings while surrendering just two hits and one walk. He struck out 10. Verlander set the tone early, retiring the first 16 batters he faced, and striking out five of the first nine.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, left fielder Yoenis Cespedes singled for the first hit of the game. Verlander promptly struck out Seth Smith to end the threat. Verlander gave up another harmless two-out single in the eighth inning to current teammate Josh Reddick, before once again striking out the side – this time making Stephen Vogt his victim.

He was replaced in the ninth inning by Joaquin Benoit, who gave up a double and a hit by pitch before retiring Smith to end it and sending the Tigers to the ALCS. It was a magical, truly dominant performance from one of the best in the game. Exasperated Oakland fans had seen this before, and could only hope they’d never have to face Verlander in the playoffs ever again.

6/12/07 Det vs. MIL No-Hitter

9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 12 K, 95 Game Score

It did not take long for Justin Verlander to register his first career no-hitter. On June 12, 2007, appearing in just his 45th big league game, Verlander blanked the Milwaukee Brewers in a 4-0 victory. Verlander walked four but struck out 12, a season high.

It was the first no-hitter in Comerica Park. He posted a game score of 95, tied for the tenth highest total in franchise history.

While it was the first no-hitter for Justin Verlander’s storied career, it would not be his last.

Verlander ended up finishing 2007 with a stellar 18-6 record and a 3.66 ERA. He made his first All-Star game and finished fifth in Cy Young voting. He would of course go on to make five more All-Star games and win the 2011 Cy Young and MVP award.