Tigers’ Justin Verlander has done what no one else has in baseball history

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from AP, via Yahoo!:



Tigers’ Justin Verlander has done what no one else has in baseball history
By LARRY LAGE, AP Sports Writer
Feb 23, 12:01 am EST

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP)—Justin Verlander is the only pitcher in baseball history to throw a no-hitter, start a World Series game, be a Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in his first two full seasons.

“Cool,” Verlander said when informed of the unprecedented quartet of feats. “That’s awesome.”

No doubt.

Verlander’s 100-mph fastball, wildly breaking curve and knee-buckling changeup give him an assortment of pitches that reminds teammate Kenny Rogers of one pitcher over the last two decades.

“The only guy that comes to mind with three quality pitches like Ver is Nolan Ryan,” said the 43-year-old Rogers, who played with Ryan in Texas during the final five seasons of his Hall of Fame career. “Ver is already great because of those three pitches and if he stays healthy, he’s only going to get better and that’s scary for other teams.”


Verlander led the Tigers with 18 wins, 183 strikeouts and 201 2-3 innings last season as an All-Star. He won an AL-best 75 percent of his games and ranked among league leaders in opponents batting average (.233), wins and strikeouts.

He became the first Tigers pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Jack Morris did it during the 1984 championship season and the first at home since Virgil Trucks in 1952. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AmB4RWzs.aZEK0uJ04l8rIGpu7YF?slug=ap-tigers-verlander&prov=ap&type=lgns