A capacity crowd at Comerica Park barely made a peep when right-hander Justin Verlander took the mound on Friday night. For eight innings, Verlander came to the mound and mowed down the Pittsburgh Pirates with clinical efficiency. Verlander's no-hitter was broken up with two outs to go in the Tigers' 6-0 win, at which point the crowd erupted with applause for another masterful pitching performance from the reigning American League Cy Young winner.
Verlander's fastball touched triple digits on the radar gun, but it was his off-speed arsenal that proved to be particular deadly. Josh Harrison, designated hitter for the visit Pirates, cracked the code with one out in the ninth, sending an 87 mph slider into center on the ground. Verlander got the next two hitters to ground out, ending the game.
Delmon Young homered in the fourth inning and drove in two with a seventh inning double, accounting for three of the Tigers' six runs. Price Fielder was 2-for-4, but the night belonged to Verlander.
Verlander has two career no-hitters. A third would have made him one of only six players in history with at least that many. His last no-no came on May 7 of this season against the Blue Jays.
For more on the Tigers, head over to Bless You Boys. For more MLB coverage, be sure to visit Baseball Nation.