Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander to pitch in Game 5 of ALCS – MLB Playoffs
The Detroit Tigers have decided to start the American League Championship Series’ Game 5 with Justin Verlander on the mound. There were previously reports that Verlander wanted to pitch in the Game 4 of the series.
Part of the reason why Justin Verlander was insistent upon pitching was his visible success in throwing more than 227 pitches in the two playoffs, going for no less than 13 innings in the two games that he featured in.
As the rain washed away Game 2, prompting postponement, Verlander might have got a fairly good amount of time to psych oneself up. But for him the rest, for now, means nothing.
"I would rather have thrown as many bullets as I normally do," Verlander said. "I try to keep myself in rhythm. I base what I do a lot off feel. If something is wrong, I like to feel.”
While there remains hardly any shred of doubt that Game 5 has the forecast of rain, something Verlander has become curiously familiar with and accustomed to, he hopes he will have a chance to pitch.
While the Texas Rangers have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series, the Tigers have complete faith and confidence on their ace Verlander to turn the tide. It was this reason that forced Verlander to talk to Jim Leyland for pitching in Game 4.
"I went and talked to [Leyland] a few times," the pitcher said. "I told him I would be ready. He just kept saying no, no, no. I finally went in there and said, 'Hey, I'm going to prepare to throw Game 4. You make the decision after that.'"
With the indecision that Verlander might have seen involving the prospect of Game 4, what has become clear now is that he has to pitch in Game 5. The lead that the Texas Rangers have secured could only be outdone if the Tigers overhaul their strategy.
That, of course, hinges upon how well Verlander pitches in Game 5. The Tigers will be looking to put in a good performance in Game 5 by coming out aggressively to dominate early.
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