Tigers On Top

Okay, maybe the seagulls weren’t completely responsible for Justin Verlander’s amazing and wondrous no hitter. (A NO HITTER!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?!) But you have to admit, since they arrived the Tigers have either been scoring oodles of runs or getting really good pitching. Yeah, it’s only three games, but the results are undeniable!

Justin’s no-hitter was the Tigers’ first since 1984 when Jack Morris did it (and the Tigers won the World Series). It was the first by a Tiger in Detroit since 1952 (when the Tigers were astoundingly awful). If you were at that game, I am so massively jealous that words cannot express it. By the end of the game it was like Game 7 of the World Series. The excitement in Dan Dickerson’s voice almost made me cry, and the way everyone mobbed Justin was so cool. Then of course Jonesy got him with a shaving cream pie. Can’t let the kid’s head get too big, right?

So much for a sophomore slump. Justin is even better than last year. Not only does he have electric stuff, he has the smarts to use it right. Sure, smarts aren’t incredibly necessary when one can blow one of the best offenses in the game away in the ninth inning with 100+ mph fastballs. But they are necessary a lot of the rest of the time. Justin is no Nuke LaLoosh.

 As always seems to happen with a no-hitter, there were several eye-popping defensive plays. Just because he’s one of my faves, I’m going to highlight Brandon Inge’s defense at third. Oh yes, and ANOTHER home run. According to Mario and Rod, the broken toe actually IS helping him hit. Because he’s landing as gently as possible on that left foot as he swings, he’s staying back longer, his head is staying stiller, and he’s getting a much better look at the ball. And better contact, I might add!

The superstitions for this game were pretty hilarious. Pudge actually told him to just go away. Omar Infante, when sociable Justin sat down to chat, got up and left. Mike Maroth, who’d been keeping Durbin company charting the game on TV inside, refused to leave and see Justin make history live for fear of disturbing the no-hitter juju. Now, after the fact, we can all laugh. But during the game, rest assured, all superstitions were taken with the utmost seriousness.

Justin had twelve strikeouts. What insanity. It’s kind of funny, at the beginning of the broadcast the two announcers were saying he’s not the type of guy to strike out twelve or thirteen, despite his stuff. Man, and against the BREWERS! No-hitting somebody like the Royals is cool and all, but no-hitting one of the best offenses in baseball, a division leader, and only letting THREE balls get out of the INFIELD?!

I wish we had another off day today just to savor this.