Phoenix — When another, less accomplished pitcher says it, you accept it as part of the process — another step forward in the long, often winding, road of a season.
But when Justin Verlander says it, you stop and go, “Come again?”
After the Tigers beat the Diamondbacks, 7-3, on Tuesday night, after what seemed a laborious six-plus innings of work for Verlander, he said, “I felt like I took a big step forward today. Just the feeling I had on the mound, especially when I slowed down.”
Interesting. Maybe it was a subtle pronouncement that he was about to go on one of those oppressive Verlandian runs — like last season when he announced on Twitter that he was about to dominate, and he did.