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.
“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
