Plenty of major league pitchers get angry at home plate umpires, but some are good at hiding their frustration. Justin Verlander is not.
The Detroit Tigers right-hander was on his game Monday at Comerica Park in a pitchers’ duel with Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale. During a fourth inning matchup with Pablo Sandoval, though, Verlander lost his cool. The 34-year-old fired what he thought was a perfectly-placed fastball on the low part of the strike zone for strike three, but home plate umpire Dan Bellino called it a ball.
Verlander let Bellino hear about it, and he didn’t use very nice language.
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“Oh my God, let’s (expletive) go!” Verlander barked, before turning his back on Bellino and stomping back to the mound.
The six-time All-Star has been known to wear his heart on his sleeve, so this isn’t exactly unexpected behavior. And if the blowup was a way for Verlander to motivate himself, it worked: He allowed just one run on three hits over seven innings in Detroit’s eventual 2-1 win over Boston.
H/t to Busted Coverage
Thumbnail photo via Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports Images
