SAN FRANCISCO – Having pitched at Oracle Park nearly 13 years ago when he was with the Detroit Tigers, Justin Verlander had an idea of what to expect when he made his first home start with the Giants on Friday in their home opener.
It turned out to be everything that the three-time Cy Young Award winner expected and then some.
On an afternoon when the 42-year-old pitcher was far from peak form, a sellout crowd of 40,000-plus serenaded Verlander with thronging cheers as he walked off the field after retiring only seven batters.
It was the type of ovation Giants fans usually save for big-time players when they make big-time plays.
Verlander didn’t have any big-time moments against the Mariners but was still treated like royalty by Giants fans when manager Bob Melvin removed the right-hander after he allowed four consecutive Mariners to reach base with one out in the third.
It was somewhat reminiscent of when Verlander pitched here in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series. That was the game when Pablo Sandoval clubbed out three home runs, two of them off Verlander, who was cheered by Giants fans then as he walked off the mound.
“I’ve experienced this from the other side, obviously in some big moments,” said Verlander. “You know how great these fans are. A lot of the guys told me how special opening day is here for SF. It really was. The atmosphere was wonderful.”
Verlander didn’t get to see much of the Giants’ walk-off 10-9 win against the Seattle Mariners in the 11th. He spent the final three hours of the game in the Giants’ clubhouse watching the game on television.
While he didn’t last long on the mound in his first home start for San Francisco, Verlander definitely got work in. Probably more work than he or Melvin wanted in such a short span.
The Mariners were calm at the plate and patiently worked Verlander’s pitch count up. He threw 65 pitches and landed only 44 of them for strikes. That included a 13-pitch walk to Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh in the third. Raleigh got the walk after fouling off seven consecutive pitches.
“They just made him work really hard,” Melvin said. “He only walked two but they made him throw a ton of pitches. He gave up some hits. At that point in time, I wasn’t going to let him throw 40 pitches in an inning.”
When Verlander signed a one-year, $15 million deal in the offseason, Giants fans’ eyes glazed over at the thought of having one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history toeing the rubber for the home team at Oracle.
This version of Verlander, however, is different. He’s pitched beyond the fifth inning only once in his last 11 starts dating to 2024. Instead of just blowing his fastball by hitters, Verlander needs to be more crafty and creative with his arsenal.
Even on a bad day, though, Verlander found a silver lining with the way he was welcomed by the Giants’ faithful.
“I would have liked to have done better,” Verlander said. “I appreciate the fans cheering me on the way off the field. The atmosphere was great.”
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