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Justin Verlander and Dave Dombrowski’s baseball journeys lead them to Game 1 of the World Series

HOUSTON — When Justin Verlander takes the mound for Game 1 of the World Series Friday, he’ll become just the second pitcher in MLB history to start games in the Fall Classic in three different decades, joining Roger Clemens.

But it’s another all-time great right-hander that Verlander reminds Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski of.

And this isn’t a new take from Dombrowski, who drafted Verlander with the No. 2 overall pick for the Detroit Tigers in the 2004 MLB Draft.

“When he was young and wasn’t even in the big leagues,” Dombrowski recalled Thursday afternoon, “I remember our announcer with the Detroit Tigers asked me, he said ‘You read so much of this Verlander stuff, who does he remind you of?