At PNC Park in Pittsburgh, a staircase leads visiting players from the dugout to their clubhouse.
In that long corridor, away from all the cameras, Justin Verlander wept on Aug. 11, 2014.
Verlander's first pitch against the Pirates that night was a fastball. By his recollection, it registered 86 miles per hour. Clearly, something was wrong with the 2011 American League MVP Award and Cy Young Award winner, who leads all right-handers in strikeouts this century. After the first inning, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus approached Verlander to tell him that he could not, in good conscience, allow the right-hander to continue.