Almost Made History

Image credit to mlb.com

If Justin Verlander had thrown one extra strike, he would have been a part of an elite group of pitchers, a list only twenty nine people long. This group is the no-hitter club. Verlander could have been the thirtieth pitcher in the history of baseball to throw a no hitter. But he wasn't going to make history this game.



In an exciting battle between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers, Verlander does an amazing job as the Tigers pitcher, even with a thumb injury. All the way until the ninth inning, Verlander had twelve strikeouts and only two walks. He gave up no walks. With one out in the ninth and only two people between him and history, Josh Harrison comes up to bat. Top of the line-up, but he hadn't hat a hit yet. Verlander throws two strikes, and a ball. The next pitch, Harrison makes contact with the ball. He singles to center.


Although Verlander's chances of being considered one of the best are ruined, his work should not go unnoticed. He lowered his ERA to 2.14, which is a significant amount lower than his ERA prior to this game.

Image credit to detroit.tigers.mlb.com

Verlander made his first appearance this season after being placed on the DL due to a thumb injury. The Tigers had thirteen hits, and scored six runs. The final score was 6-0, in favor of Detroit.