The Ballad of the Blowtorch

On a whim, I went to the game last night.

I hadn't been to a game in a few weeks so I felt it was time to take a stroll downtown.

I made my way to the Hard Rock Cafe, took the shuttle to the park and settled into my seat. Now, I know everyone could say this but yesterday I had a feeling about something. I didn't know what it was but I felt like something awesome was going to take place.

You got a friday night, perfect weather, A Tigers game and The Blowtorch is on the mound. It just felt......right.

So as I watched the game, I started to notice 2 things going up on the board: Lots of K's and lots of zeroes.

This was nothing new mind you, this is Justin Verlander we're talking about here. But then in the 7th inning, Garret Jones struck out looking and the ump had quite possibly the most electric strikeout call. I feel like it was similar to this:   STEEEEEEEEEERRRIIIIIKE!

So now, S&^# just got real.

Then in the 8th, The Blowtorch carved up McGehee, Mclouth and Barmes. 3 straight punch outs to launch this game into crazy town.



Now the 9th started and everyone was one their feet. Some were on their chairs. I looked around at the crowd and saw a mixture of cheering, nervousness and camera phones. We all knew what was up and all we needed to do was take the ride. Michael McKenry's ground out made it seem like a sure thing then. Pumped beyond pumped. So in walks Josh Harrison to take his cuts agains the Ace.

With just 2 outs from his third No-Hitter, Justin Verlander threw a mediocre pitch. A mediocre pitch that Josh Harrison was able to dink into center field.

The agony and the ecstasy.

This was me for the next minute:



The No-No was Bye-Bye. But then JV just did what he had been doing all night. Induced some ground balls and gave the Tigers a masterful win. A win they sorely needed to keep pace with the Indians.

The last out was made and the whole team came sprinting on the field to show JV his effort was second to none. The crowd was ecstatic and cheering on the man who just dazzled them with pure domination. All I could do was soak in the moment as JV got the high fives he deserved.

Then in a moment all to brief, the jumbotron camera was turned to Justin. The expression on his face was one of bittersweet determination. Yes, he got the win but he was fully aware of what he lost. With the camera still trained on him JV said empahtically, "I'm Sorry". The epitome of class.

Whether it was meant for the crowd or for someone off camera, I'll reply to JV:

No Apologies Needed My Friend

The Blowtorch threw a one hit shut out with 12 K's. The best thing about this guy? He's only 5 days away from trying again. This rocked the Verland-O-Meter for a 9. Bravo Maestro, Bra-Flipping-Vo.

Go Tigers, Go Verlander, Go Detroit! ThunderCats GOOOOOOOOO