Rays 'Verlander-ed': JV climbs lists - 美國職棒

1. 新聞來源：

MLB

2. 新聞標題：

Rays 'Verlander-ed': JV climbs lists in G1 gem

Astros ace third all-time in playoff wins, K's; allows 1 hit in 7 scoreless

3. 新聞內容：

By Brian McTaggart @brianmctaggart 1:00 AM EDT

HOUSTON -- Just when you thought you were running out of adjectives to
describe Justin Verlander’s dominance this season, Rays manager Kevin Cash
came up with something fresh after the 36-year-old shut his team down Friday
afternoon.

“We got Verlander-ed,” Cash said.

‧ ALDS presented by Doosan, Game 2: Tonight, 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on FS1

The ageless Verlander, coming off one of the best seasons of his career,
dazzled in his 2019 playoff debut, throwing seven scoreless innings while
striking out eight batters and allowing only one hit as the Astros grabbed
Game 1 of the American League Division Series with a 6-2 win over Tampa Bay
at Minute Maid Park. In the process, Verlander notched his 14th career
postseason win to tie Hall of Famer Tom Glavine for third most all-time.

‧ Box score

Verlander and Rays starter Tyler Glasnow were locked in a pitchers' duel
through four innings before the Astros scored four runs in the fifth on a
two-run homer by José Altuve and an error on second baseman Brandon Lowe,
who dropped a two-out popup to allow a pair of runs to score.

Once Verlander got the lead, the Rays were finished.

“He's got an incredible instinct for the moment,” Astros manager AJ Hinch
said. “He leaves some gas in his gas tank at the end of his outings. He
never wavers off his game plan until he has to. Like a good sprinter, like at
the finish line, he's going to win. He's going to win the race at the end of
his outings.”

In the history of best-of-five postseason series, Game 1 winners have gone on
to take the series 95 of 132 times (72 percent). In the Division Series with
the current 2-2-1 format, teams winning Game 1 at home took the series 31 of
40 times (78 percent).

It gets better for the Astros. They will hand the ball to 20-game winner
Gerrit Cole in Game 2 on Saturday night. He’s 16-0 with a 1.78 ERA in his
last 22 starts. Houston has won each of his last 13 starts, but third baseman
Alex Bregman is taking nothing for granted.

‧ Rays-Astros G2: Lineups, rosters, FAQ

“I think we’ve got a lot of work left to do, but it was a great start,” he
said. “Verlander came out and did a great job. Altuve had a big swing to get
us on the board and break the ice. I think it’s going to be a fun series,
and we’ve got a lot of work cut out for us.”

Altuve’s homer, which made it 2-0, was the ninth of his postseason career,
which is the second most in franchise history behind George Springer (11).
Altuve has homered in Game 1 of the ALDS in three consecutive seasons,
including three homers in Game 1 in 2017.

“Unbelievable,” Astros shortstop Carlos Correa said. “[Altuve] told me
before the game, he’s like, ‘Hey, I’ve hit a homer the first game of the
last two postseasons. So I’m gonna make it three today,’ and he did. When
he tells me, I believe him. It doesn’t surprise me.“

Altuve and Verlander, a pair of former AL MVP Award winners, were texting
each other Thursday night about how hungry the 107-win Astros were to start
the playoffs.

“This team has no quit,” Verlander said. “These guys are hungry. They
always are, no matter how many games we win or how good everybody says this
team is. Inside the locker room, these guys grind, and we work and we prepare
ourselves to win baseball games. It's fun to watch. Everybody can kill you.”

‧ Astros, experience conquer Rays in ALDS G1

Verlander, who reached 300 season strikeouts and 3,000 career strikeouts in
his final start of the regular season Saturday in Anaheim, moved into sole
possession of third place on the all-time postseason strikeout list with 175,
passing Roger Clemens. He trails only Andy Pettitte (183) and John Smoltz
(199).

Verlander became the first pitcher to throw at least seven scoreless innings
with no more than one hit allowed in the playoffs since Bronson Arroyo of the
Reds in Game 2 of the 2012 National League Division Series against the
Giants. What’s more, it was Verlander’s ninth career postseason start with
at least seven innings and no more than one run allowed, which is tied for
second most all-time with Smoltz and Curt Schilling. Only Glavine (11) has
more.

Verlander also notched his eighth career Division Series win, which is a
record (surpassing Smoltz and Pettitte).

“You can define aces in a lot of different ways,” Hinch said. “He's a
star. Like, he's a Hall of Fame pitcher. So we're going to look back and be
very proud that we crossed paths with him.”

Verlander was buoyed by double plays in the first and sixth innings started
by Bregman -- who also made a nice defensive play in the third, when he
snagged a Kevin Kiermaier grounder, turned and whirled a throw to first for
an out. Bregman reached base three times and scored twice.

Verlander sent down eight of the final nine Rays hitters he faced, including
six by strikeout, and finished with 100 pitches thrown. The only run
Verlander has allowed in 19 1/3 innings over three starts against Tampa Bay
this year was a leadoff homer to Austin Meadows on Opening Day.

“It's so hard to take him out of games like that, because he punches out a
side,” Hinch said. “I wanted to take him out no matter what. But watching
him finish like that, he has a good sense for when the finish line is coming.
Both he and Gerrit are two of the best I've ever seen in baseball doing it.”

4. 新聞連結：

https://www.mlb.com/news/justin-verlander-leads-astros-to-alds-game-1-win

5. 備註：

(1) Justin Verlander 2019 ALDS G1的成績表現：

Houston Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA P-S

Verlander (W, 1-0) 7.0 1 0 0 3 8 0 0.00 100-67

(2) 被問及Justin Verlander的宰制性表現時，光芒隊總教練Kevin Cash表示：

「我們被Verlander了。」

另一方面，記者也向Justin Verlander詢問自己被當成動詞的看法，Justin Verlander
表示：「嗯，我不知道，嗯，我認為、我猜這是很好的讚美，我不知道怎麼解釋這個。」

https://www.mlb.com/video/cash-verlander-after-game-1

Justin Verlander：「這個隊永不放棄，隊友們總是對勝利很渴望，不論我們贏多少比賽
、或是其他人認為我們隊多好。在休息室內，他們做出最好的準備來贏得比賽，很高興能
看到這樣，每個人都可以打敗你。」

(3) 太空人隊總教練AJ Hinch表示：「他在這關鍵時刻有難以置信的能力，就像終點站前
一台很好的箱型車，比賽後半段他的油箱內仍有燃料，在比賽結束前贏得這場比賽。接下
來我們還有很多工作要做，這是個好的開始，Verlander表現得很好，Altuve有關鍵的一
棒讓我們取得領先，我認為這個系列賽會很有趣，還有很多的工作在等著我們。」「你可
以用很多種方式來認定王牌，Verlander就是個明星，他就像個名人堂的投手，所以我們很
驕傲能與他一同回首並邁進。很難做出將他換下場的決定，因為他該下場了，我無論如何
都該將他換下場，但看到他的表現，他知道在份內工作結束前比賽該如何收尾，他跟
Gerrit Cole在這方面是我看過的投手中做得最好的。」

(4) 上次有投手投滿至少七局無失分，且只被擊出一支安打以下的球員，是2012年紅人隊
於國聯分區系列賽對上巨人隊的Bronson Arroyo。

(5) 在奪下本場勝利後，Justin Verlander生涯在季後賽已奪下第十四勝，與勇士隊名人
堂傳奇投手Tom Glavine並列史上第三多；這也是他生涯第九場季後賽先發投滿至少七局、
僅失一分以下的比賽，與名人堂球星John Smoltz和Curt Schilling並列史上第二，第一則
是Tom Glavine的十一場。另外，Verlander也奪下生涯第八個分區系列賽的勝投為史上最
多，超越John Smoltz跟Andy Pettitte。

(6) 在五戰三勝制的季後賽史上，贏得第一場的隊伍最後有72%的機率(95-132)晉級；在目
前2-2-1的分區系列賽史上，贏得第一場的隊伍有高達78%的機率(31-40)晉級。

(7)
2019 ALDS G2｜TB (Blake Snell 6-8, 4.29 ERA 147K) @
10/06 09:07｜HOU (Gerrit Cole 20-5, 2.50 ERA 326K)

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