2013 information guide - MLB.com

2013 TIGERS
• Registered 250 strikeouts during the season, marking the third straight season he has fanned 200-or-more batters --
his streak of three straight seasons with 200-or-more strikeouts is the longest by a Tigers pitcher since Mickey Lolich
did so in six straight seasons (1969-74)...it marked Verlander’s second season for the Tigers with 250-or-more
strikeouts and he joins Lolich as the only two pitchers in club history to have multiple such seasons...Lolich fanned 250or-more
batters in three seasons during his Tigers career (1969, 1971 and 1972).
• Surpassed 200.0 innings for Detroit for the fifth straight season, tossing 251.0 innings -- his streak with 200.0-or-more
innings pitched is the longest by a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris did so in seven straight seasons (1982-88).
• His .192 batting average against and 6.24 hits per nine innings were the lowest by a Tigers pitcher in club history.
• With 250 strikeouts during the season, he passed Joe Coleman (1,000), Frank Lary (1,031), John Hiller (1,036), Virgil
Trucks (1,046), “Wild Bill” Donovan (1,079), Denny McLain (1,150), Dizzy Trout (1,199) and Hooks Dauss (1,201) to
move into seventh place in Tigers history with 1,215 strikeouts.
• Posted a 16-3 record when starting following a Tigers loss during the 2011 season -- according to the Elias Sports
Bureau, it marks the most wins by a major league pitcher following a loss by his team since Steve Carlton posted 19
such wins for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1972 season.
• Named to The Sporting News’ American League all-star squad following the season.
• Tabbed the best pitcher and rated as possessing the best fastball, best curveball, third-best changeup and third-best
pick-off move in the American League by Baseball America.
• Earned the nod as the Tigers starter on Opening Day on March 31 at New York’s Yankee Stadium, marking the fourth
consecutive season he has served as Detroit’s Opening Day starter -- first Tigers pitcher to start four consecutive
Opening Days since Jack Morris started 11 straight (1980-90)...fanned eight batters against the Yankees in a nodecision
that day, marking the most strikeouts by a Tigers pitcher on Opening Day since Hideo Nomo also fanned eight
batters on April 3, 2000 at Oakland.
• Recorded the 1,000th strikeout of his career on April 22 versus the Chicago White Sox, fanning A.J. Pierzynski in the
seventh inning -- became the 15th pitcher in Tigers history to compile 1,000 strikeouts.
• Shared American League Player of the Week honors for May 2-8 with Minnesota’s Francisco Liriano after posting a
1-0 record and 1.50 ERA (15.0IP/3ER) in two starts...shared American League Player of the Week honors two more
times during the season, June 13-19 with Tampa Bay’s James Shields and September 12-18 with Erick Aybar of the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...won both of his starts June 13-19, posting a 0.50 ERA (18.0IP/1ER) and 17
strikeouts...did not allow a run in 15.0 innings of work as he won both of his starts September 12-18.
• Compiled an 18.0-inning scoreless streak over a three-start stretch May 2-13.
• Tossed the second no-hitter of his career on May 7 at Toronto, the seventh no-hitter in Tigers history -- joins Virgil Trucks
as the only two pitchers in Tigers history with multiple no-hitters...Trucks threw two no-hitters for the Tigers during the
1952 season...according to STATS LLC, he became the 27th pitcher to record two career no-hitters in the American or
National League.
• Compiled a nine-game winning streak May 7-June 30, posting a 1.54 ERA (87.2IP/15ER) over the 11-start stretch.
• Earned the win in seven straight starts May 29-June 30, while working seven-or-more innings and allowing two-orfewer
runs -- he joined Frank Lary (September 1-29, 1956) as the only two Tigers pitchers since at least 1919 to work
seven straight such outings.
• Worked seven-or-more innings and allowed two-or-fewer runs in nine straight starts May 29-July 10 -- according to the
Elias Sports Bureau, he and Hal Newhouser are the only two Tigers pitchers in franchise history to have such a streak...
Newhouser compiled his nine-game streak during the 1945 season.
• Selected the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for May after compiling a 3-0 record, 2.62 ERA (44.2IP/13ER) and 33
strikeouts in six starts.
• Fanned 10 batters on June 9 versus Seattle, his first of four starts with a double-digit strikeout total in 2011 -- struck
out 12 batters on June 14 versus Cleveland, a career-high 14 batters on June 25 versus Arizona and 10 batters on
August 11 at Cleveland.
• Garnered both American League and Tigers Pitcher of the Month honors for June -- finished 6-0 with a 0.92 ERA
(49.0IP/5ER) and 54 strikeouts in six starts during the month...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the
first major league pitcher to post a 6-0 record and an ERA below 1.00 in a single month since Kenny Rogers did so
with Texas in May of 2005...also according to the Elias Sports Bureau, since 1913, when earned runs became an
official American League statistic, the only other Tigers pitcher to win six-or-more games during a calendar month in
which he posted an ERA below 1.00 was Frank Lary in September of 1956...Lary finished 7-0 with a 0.86 ERA
(63.0IP/6ER) in seven starts during the month...topped all American League pitchers with six wins, a 0.92 ERA and 54
strikeouts during the month.
• Earned the win in 12 straight starts July 21-September 18, compiling a 2.28 ERA (87.0IP/22ER) -- according to the
Elias Sports Bureau, his streak of 12 straight starts with a win established a Tigers record...surpassed wins in 11
straight starts by both Earl Whitehill (July 2-August 19, 1930) and Hal Newhouser (June 11-July 27, 1946)...the 12-
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2013 DETROIT TIGERS INFORMATION GUIDE