Justin Verlander shines as Detroit Tigers defeat Seattle Mariners 4-1 – MLB Update
Justin Verlander crippled the Seattle Mariners’ offence on Thursday, June 9, to adorn Detroit Tigers with a 4-1 win at Comerica Park, Detroit.
Verlander threw 126 pitches, allowing only run in eight exceptionally strong innings.
Brennan Boesch hit a two-run homer to strengthen the Tigers’ defence, but it was Verlander who prevailed pre-eminently due largely to his pitching excellence.
“My job is to go out there and, whether we do or do not score, keep those guys off the board and keep the momentum in our favour," Verlander said.
Justin laid a firm foundation for the Tigers since the start with the first scoreless innings that he pitched. Strong, unplayable and formidable, Verlander was extremely dominant during the game, rendering every Mariners’ hitter unable to play.
Only once did his fastball lose a slight speed, enabling Jack Wilson to take advantage of it. Wilson struck out swinging to get the first run of the Mariners and the game as a whole. That triggered the Detroit offence to execute something beyond ordinary.
Doug Fister who had pitched four scoreless innings against an otherwise well-built and aggressive Detroit offence, but everything took an abrupt turn and the acquired a new form in the bottom of fifth inning.
Alex Avila hit a tying single once Fister came to pitch in the fifth inning. Don Kelly hit a tiebreaking score by hitting a single to left centre after Austin Jackson was grounded out to first. Brennan Boesch drove in a brilliant two-run homer to give an
emphatic 4-1 lead to the Tigers.
Fister gave up four hits in the fifth inning, giving a much-sought lead to the Detroit. Verlander then came down harder on the Mariners’ evidently struggling defence and limited them to the solo run they scored.
"I've seen him too many times over the years," Mariners’ manager Eric Wedge said. "When he's at his best, he'll get stronger as the game wears on. He was better late than he was early, and he was good early, too. It was just one of those days."
Once Verlander pitched the eighth inning, which was a shut-out, keeping the team’s 4-1 lead it was Jose Valverde who was supposed to relieve Verlander.
Valverde proved instrumental in turning the lead into a 4-1 victory, giving the first win to the Detroit Tigers in four-game series.
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