Local baseball fans are not surprised by the success of Justin Verlander. The Goochland native pitched his way from that small county northwest of the city, to Norfolk and Old Dominion University, and now, in my opinion, he’s at the top of the major leagues. Verlander, the American League’s hottest pitcher, surely the Cy Young award is in his grasp, and maybe even MVP. For now, Verlander and his Detroit Tigers would just like to defeat the New York Yankees in the AL Divisional Series, which the Tigers now lead 2-1, thanks to Verlander’s performance in Monday’s 5-4 victory in Motown. In Tampa, the Texas Rangers beat the Devil Rays to take a 2-1 lead in their AL series. Tonight, the National Leaguers go to work. Milwaukee leads Arizona 2-0 going into Game 3 in Phoenix, while the St. Louis Cardinals host the Phillies with their NLDS tied at one apiece.
