Justin Verlander had a poorly timed hiccup Wednesday, getting knocked around for five runs over just four innings in the World Series Game 1 loss to the Giants.
Verlander was a little unlucky on a couple occasions, as Angel Pagan hit a chopper that bounced off the third-base bag and ultimately led to a run, and Barry Zito hit a weak, well-placed RBI single through the left side. But, there's no question that Verlander was far from his typical dominating self. He served up his first homer on an 0-2 pitch this season to Pablo Sandoval in the first and then let Sandoval take him deep again two innings later. All told, he allowed six hits and a walk while striking out four, requiring 98 pitches to cover the four frames. He'll surely bounce back in Game 5, but it's a tough one to take for the Tigers, who surely had this one chalked up as a win going in.
Justin Verlander had a poorly timed hiccup Wednesday, getting knocked around for five runs over just four innings in the World Series Game 1 loss to the Giants.
Verlander was a little unlucky on a couple occasions, as Angel Pagan hit a chopper that bounced off the third-base bag and ultimately led to a run, and Barry Zito hit a weak, well-placed RBI single through the left side. But, there's no question that Verlander was far from his typical dominating self. He served up his first homer on an 0-2 pitch this season to Pablo Sandoval in the first and then let Sandoval take him deep again two innings later. All told, he allowed six hits and a walk while striking out four, requiring 98 pitches to cover the four frames. He'll surely bounce back in Game 5, but it's a tough one to take for the Tigers, who surely had this one chalked up as a win going in.