9781422273739

Chapter 1

Greatest Moments Masterful in the Motor City Justin Verlander’s arrival for spring training with the Detroit Tigers in 2006 was accompanied with questions galore. His only previous major league appearances were his first two big league starts during the 2005 season, in which he coughed up a combined nine runs and 15 hits in less than 12 innings of work while throwing a wild pitch and hitting a batter, too. The second overall pick in the 2004 draft had lots to prove when he stepped into the Lakeland, Florida, sunshine. And boy, did Verlander ever deliver in resounding fashion. Verlander seized a spot in Detroit’s starting rotation when the 2006 regular season began. He went out and won his first start in Texas with a dominating seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits while whiffing seven. The 89 pitches he threw that evening provided a glimpse of his greatness and were the starting point of his hike through baseball’s record books. Verlander won 17 games that season, tied for most on the Tigers’ staff, and captured the American League’s (AL) Rookie of the Year award. Those 17 wins were also the

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