Verlander Win Streak Ends At 12
DETROIT (AP) - Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander's streak of consecutive winning starts has ended at 12.
The Detroit ace left Saturday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles after seven innings with his team trailing 5-4. The Tigers tied the score in the eighth, leaving Verlander (24-5) with a no-decision.
Verlander allowed all five runs in the first three innings.
He was bidding to become the first pitcher to win 13 starts in a row since Ellis Kinder of the Boston Red Sox in 1949, according to STATS LLC. The major league record of 21 was set by the Philadelphia Athletics' Lefty Grove in 1931.
Verlander broke the previous Tigers record of wins in 11 straight starts, shared by Earl Whitehill (1930) and Hal Newhouser (1946).
Making his last start of the regular season, Verlander fell short of becoming the first pitcher with 25 wins since Oakland's Bob Welch went 27-6 in 1990.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
