Motor City Mojo

Justin Verlander shuts down the A's in Game 5 of the ALDS

By Jesse Dougherty

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

For a small while, the Oakland A’s were starting to convince the baseball world that they had what it took to compete in October. Down 2-0 to the Tigers in the ALDS, they won Game 3 behind a strong outing by Brett Anderson, and Game 4 on a ninth-inning comeback that was capped by a walk-off single by Coco Crisp. 

But with the series knotted at 2-2, the odds were still heavily against them. With Jarrod Parker going for the A’s, Justin Verlander was scheduled to take the hill for the Tigers. 

And with 36,393 fans in attendance at Comerica Park on Thursday night, Justin Verlander put the Oakland Athletics World Series hope to bed while sending the Tigers through to the ALCS. 

“I think this is No. 1,” said Verlander when asked where Game 5 ranks in his career in an ESPN interview after the game. “The two no-hitters are obviously up there, but that’s something a little bit different. This was ‘win or go home, my team needs me.’ And I was able to go out there and have one of the better performances I’ve had.” 

The performance he is talking about was a complete game shutout on one of baseball’s biggest stages. Verlander gave up only four hits in nine innings of work on Thursday night, striking out another 11 batters in the process. 

On offense, lead-off man Austin Jackson set the tone for for an outpour that led to a 6-0 Tigers win. Jackson doubled in Omar Infante in the top half of the third, scored on a wild pitch later in the inning, and singled in Johnny Peralta in the bottom of the seventh. When Jackson was through, he was single handedly beating the A’s 3-0, and that’s all Verlander would need. 

“When you’re facing that kind of pitching, you just try to get the runs in whenever you can,” said Prince Fielder in an MLB.com interview, “Today, they were facing our guy as well. We knew if we got him a couple, we had a good shot. I’m just glad we were able to come away with it.” 

You have to think that Justin Verlander knew that Jackson’s RBI single in the third would be enough. When asked about the game by MLB.com, Jim Leyland said that he knew all along. 

“He had that look in his eyes today,” said Leyland, “He was determined. He had a complete-game look in his eye. And we were thankful to get that.”

On the series, Verlander posted a 2-0 record and gave up just one run over 16 innings pitched. He also fanned eleven and only allowed a combined 12 batters to reach base in two games. 

With two outs in the ninth he got A’s outfielder Seth Smith to roll over on a breaking ball on the outer half of the plate. As Omar Infante scooped it up Verlander prematurely raised his hands in the air in celebration. When Prince Fielder closed his mitt on the final out of the ALCS he embraced with catcher Alex Avila and the rest of his team; but he couldn’t have been surprised. 

Verlander knew that this would happen. It was all part of his plan.