Verlander digs deep to win
Backed by homers from Reddick and Chirinos, ace tosses season-high 114 pitches in gem
OAKLAND, Calif. — A.J. Hinch hopped from the top step of the third-base dugout and ambled to his ace. The tying runs reached base and, for a fleeting moment on a brilliant night, Justin Verlander approached vulnerability.
The manager made his way to the pitcher’s mound. In the bullpen, Will Harris stood ready to enter the fray during the eighth inning of the Astros’ 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday night. Verlander would not allow it. The righthander raised his glove over his face and did most of the talking during the 30-second conference.
Verlander approached 110 pitches. His season-high is 111. Verlander would not leave the game and Hinch had no plans to retort. This was a mound visit in name only.
The game rested on Verlander’s right arm. Where else would the Astros prefer it?
Matt Olson dug in. Verlander emptied the tank. The A’s third baseman filled the count, fouling four-seam fastballs that approached 98 mph as Verlander’s night drew to a close.
On the sixth pitch, Verlander spun a slider. It ran up and in against Olson, who offered a feeble swing to finish the inning.
Verlander (9-2) hopped from the mound and pumped his fist. Such a show of emotion is rare in the regular season for this austere ace. Saturday supplied a departure from the norm, perhaps the best outing in a season Verlander is vying to etch among the best of his 15-year career.
He overpowered Oakland across eight innings of one-run baseball. Seventy-seven of his season-high 114 pitches were strikes. Twenty-three were swung upon and missed. The Athletics mustered four hits while he worked.
Two-run homers by Josh Reddick and Robinson Chirinos contributed more than offense required behind for Verlander, who continued his climb past the sport’s legends.
A seventh-inning strikeout of Robbie Grossman inched Verlander past Cy Young for 21st on the all-time list. Among active pitchers, Verlander trails only retiring, 38-year-old Yankees southpaw CC Sabathia, who eclipsed 3,000 strikouts earlier this season.
Verlander shows no signal of slowing down. His health is immaculate and his pitching still premier. Saturday’s start whittled his ERA to 2.27. Only Minnesota ace Jake Odorizzi owns a lower one among American League starters.
In their first two trips through the order, the A’s attempted an ambush. They swung early and often, refusing to fall into two-strike counts where Verlander’s slider or curveball could crush them. Just four of the first 14 A’s hitters reached two strikes. Three others put the first pitch they saw in play, putting Verlander on course for a complete-game gem.
The righthander required less than 12 pitches to finish each of the first four innings. Only Stephen Piscotty produced anything of consequence, crushing a firstpitch fastball into the right-field seats for a second-inning home run. No A’s runner reached third base thereafter.
Seven of Verlander’s eight strikeouts came after the fourth inning. Until the eighth-inning threat, Oakland put two men on against him once more, during a frenetic fifth inning fraught with controversy.
After singles from Ramon Laureano and Josh Phegley put men on, leadoff hitter Marcus Semien sent a sinking liner down the rightfield line. Reddick ran toward it and offered a headfirst dive, but the baseball eluded his outstretched glove. Replay showed it bounced on the foul line and into fair territory. First-base umpire Alan Porter signaled foul.
Immediately, the Athletics asked for a review. One minute and 50 seconds elapsed before the replay officials in New York determined the call stood. Insufficient evidence existed to overturn the ruling on the field.
Oakland manager Bob Melvin was incensed. He neared an ejection while arguing with three of the four umpires on the field, but calmed just enough to remain in the game.
Semien met a different fate. After running out a fielder’s choice that ended the inning, the A’s infielder barked at Porter while at first base, earning a mid-inning ejection while Melvin sprinted out to defend his player.