ST. LOUIS — Finally, Jake Rogers and Justin Verlander played in the same game.
Verlander, one of the best pitchers in baseball for nearly two decades, has taken the mound five times against the Detroit Tigers — his team for more than a dozen seasons — since the Aug. 31, 2017, trade sent him to the Houston Astros in exchange for three prospects. He faced his old team twice in 2018, twice in 2019 and once in 2023.
It took a while, but for the first time, Verlander matched up Thursday against one of the three players from the trade.