Justin Verlander was going for his third career no-hitter in Detroit on Friday night.
Justin Verlander’s No-Hitter Broken Up With 1 Out In Ninth
He would join Nolan Ryan (seven), Sandy Koufax (four), Cy Young (three), Bob Feller (three), and Larry Corcoran (three) as the only pitchers in major-league history to throw more than two if he could complete the ninth inning without allowing a hit. He entered the ninth having thrown 95 pitches, 66 for strikes.
Suspense! Follow along.
The leadoff batter was No. 9 hitter Michael McKenry, the Pirates’ catcher. McKenry hit a 3-2 ground ball to shortstop and Jhonny Peralta threw him out.
Next was Josh Harrison, serving as designated hitter. Verlander ran the count to 0-2, partly on Harrison’s swing at a pitch in the dirt, and then after an inside pitch made the count 1-2, Harrison laced a soft line drive up the middle to break up the no-hitter.
The crowd gave Verlander a nice ovation, and he eventually completed a one-hit shutout over the Pirates; the Tigers won 6-0.
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