Justin Verlander: Tigers' fans 'had the right to boo'

It is still hard to comprehend how far things have fallen for Detroit Tigers’ starting pitcher Justin Verlander thus far during the 2014 season. Perhaps no moment was more jarring than what unfolded on Monday night when the home crowd booed him off the mound.

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For his part, Verlander understood why the fans were uneasy. He did surrender seven runs for the second time in as many starts, after all. And while the former Cy Young award winner has no answers for why he is so out of whack right now, he did defend the fans and their right to boo him (quotes from Mlive.com):

"“The fans are frustrated, and so am I,” Verlander admitted. “They’ve cheered me plenty. They have the right to boo because they’re frustrated — I am, too.”"

Verlander doesn’t have any answers for what has gone wrong, but he insists that it is not an injury.

"“That’s why I keep saying it’s frustrating,” said Verlander, who maintained Monday that, physically speaking, he feels 100 percent."

That’s tough to peg down, however. While it might not be a physical issue in terms of him physically hurting somewhere, there has to be something going on, perhaps simple wear and tear, to explain the continued decline in his fastball velocity.

Things are rough for the Tigers right now. One night after Verlander’s tough start, Max Scherzer was roughed by the Kansas City Royals as well. Detroit’s lead in the division is rapidly decreasing. Sure, there’s a lot of season left, but these are nervous times in Detroit.

That probably serves to explain these fans booing Verlander as well, short-sighted though that still seems to this writer.

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Justin Verlander: Tigers’ fans ‘had the right to boo’

By Hayden Kane | Jun 17, 2014