Verlander loses no-hit bid in ninth

DETROIT— It looked like Comerica Park in 2007, with Justin Verlander on the pitcher’s mound and befuddled batters in the batter’s box. One after another, they stepped in and stepped out with weak out after weak out. Back then, he was a sophomore.

It looked like Rogers Centre in 2011, with Verlander standing out there and sitting those hitters down with mid-90-mph fastballs in the early innings, then high-90-mph fastballs in the later innings. Three up, three down. Then six. Then a walk. A double-play. Then nine down. Then 12. 15. 18. 21. Back then, he was in his prime.

Now, Verlander is a wily veteran. He has reached the highest of highs in his10-year career and last year, by his standards, fell to the lowest of lows.

But on this night at Comerica Park, after a six-start stretch to reassert his dominance at the top of the Tigers’ rotation, he, for at least one night, nearly climbed back on top of the major league mountain of starting pitchers with by nearly throwing his third career no-hitter in a 5-0 shutout of the Angels.

On a 97-mph fastball to leadoff the ninth inning, catcher Chris Iannetta doubled on a 2-2 pitch off the chalk line in left field, breaking up his chances to join the likes of Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller and Cy Young with three each.

Verlander was dominant from the outset, striking out nine batters — eight of them swinging, to earn his seventh career shutout and first since 2012. He walked two batters, erasing them both on double plays — Ryan Jackson in the third inning and Erick Aybar in the eighth inning — and didn’t need much help from his defence, allowing two hard-hit balls.

“I don’t think this is a throwback,” Verlander said after a recent start. “This is the pitcher that I am.”

And on this night, Verlander, ace right-hander, was proved right.