The only thing better than throwing a no-hitter is doing it at home, and Justin Verlander's no-hitter in a 4-0 vistory over the Milwaukee Brewers on June 12, 2007 was the first ever for Comerica Park and the first by a Tiger pitcher since Jack Morris tossed one in 1984. Verlander, the 2006 American League Rookie of the Year, pitched 9 scoreless innings and tossed a dozen strikeouts. ESPN has the box score and also some footage of a couple of stellar plays by Magglio Ordonez & Neifi Perez.
this kid just threw a no-hitter
by Boston Fan in Michigan
Justin Verlander: 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 - Roar of the Tigers writes that when Verlander threw a fastball at 102 mph (gun inflation? maybe. I think it might be more or less accurate, though, and was juiced more with adrenaline) IN THE NINTH INNING, after he had already passed the 100-pitch mark… Verlander wasn’t just still pitching; he was STILL DOMINATING.
No runs, no hits, no errors from Mack Avenue Tigers says that 000 000 000 0 0 0 is a thing of beauty.
In So, Guess What I Did Tuesday Night... a happy Josh Wallen at The Daily Fungo tells us that Comerica was every bit as loud as it was last year in the World Series.
Slideshow of photos from Verlander's no-no on Flickr - view from the stands.
Wikipedia's no-hitter entry explains what a no-hitter is (for those who might be wondering) and also that Verlander's was the 234th in Major League Baseball history.
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Some more Verlandar clippings:
Detroit News Audio slideshow w/ Verlander talking - good one for sure.
Jerry Crasnick's Verlander, at only 24, achieving greatness: "You're looking at a guy who's a No. 1-type starter for any club in baseball," said an American League scout. "Most big league pitchers, if they really bring their A-game for 25 to 35 percent of their starts the whole year, that's pretty good. When Verlander brings his A-game, it separates him from everybody else."
John Lowe: Justin-credible! No-hitter is Tigers' first since 1984: Verlander, 24, threw only the third Tigers' no-hitter in Detroit. The first was by George Mullin in 1912, the first year of the ballpark that became known as Tiger Stadium. There have been three Tigers no-hitters on the road since Trucks' 1952 no-hitter in Detroit. Trucks threw one later in '52 in New York; Jim Bunning threw one in Boston in 1958; and then Jack Morris tossed one on the NBC Game of the Week in Chicago in the Tigers' 9-0 start in 1984. So, all told, Verlander threw the sixth no-hitter in Tigers history. That's one fewer than Nolan Ryan threw by himself. One of Ryan's no-hitters came for the California Angels at Tiger Stadium in 1973.
MICHAEL ROSENBERG: Verlander has stuff to be one of the greats: When I look at Verlander, I think Steve Yzerman, Isiah Thomas, Barry Sanders. I see a 24-year-old who might just be the most popular athlete in Detroit by the end of the summer. I see Michigan's leading cause of goose bumps. Pretty soon, you will be able to get anybody's attention in this state with three simple words.
Detroit News interviews Jack Morris & Virgil Trucks (two other Tiger pitchers who threw no hitters):
Jack Morris threw one against the White Sox in '84: "I wouldn't be surprised if he throws two or three more. He has the makeup to be one of the best. I don't expect anything other than that from him."
Trucks (90) threw 2 no hitters in 1952: "Oh, he has tremendous stuff. As long as he stays healthy, he's going to be exceptional."
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