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San Francisco Giants veteran pitcher Justin Verlander is trying to recover from a shaky outing. Verlander threw a dud in his home debut this season for the Giants. He was pulled after just 2 plus innings on Friday in a game against the Seattle Mariners.
There is something that Verlander will cherish though from his debut.
“It really was (special) but I would have liked to have done better,” Verlander said, per the Associated Press. “I appreciate the fans cheering me on the way off the field, too.”
Verlander retired just seven batters in his shaky performance. He allowed three runs and five hits. The Giants actually went on to win the game in 11 innings, 10-9.
“They just made him work really hard, threw a lot of pitches, so he'll tell you it wasn't his best stuff,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “He only walked two but they made him throw a ton of pitches. He gave up some hits. At that point in time I wasn't going to let him throw 40 pitches in an inning. That was going to be it regardless. Kind of for him, move on to the next.”
Verlander signed a one-year deal with the Giants before heading to the Bay this season. The contract was for $15 million.
Giants fans seemed to appreciate having Justin Verlander on the mound
Verlander is a 42-year-old veteran who is nearing the end of his prestigious career. Although he struggled with his control against Seattle, the Giants fan base seemed to love having him on the mound.
“The atmosphere was great. I've experienced it from the other side obviously in some big moments and know how great these fans are,” Verlander added. “A lot of guys here had told me how special opening day is here for San Francisco. It really was. The atmosphere was wonderful for the short time I was out there.”
A team's home opener is always a special day. The Giants had more reasons to celebrate on Friday, though, as the team welcomed several former franchise stars. It was also a day to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the opening of the team's ballpark.
“Kind of the timing of it was pretty cool, too,” Melvin added. “(Logan) Webby got the opening day and then Justin gets the home opener. I don't know if it could have been timed better. I'm sure he's looking forward to it and I know our fans are looking forward to it. When you add players like him in the offseason, to be able to kind of show them off on opening day I think is kind of cool.”
Giants fans are hoping that Verlander performs much better in his next start.
