00:00Hey Tigers fans, let's talk about something special happening right now in Lakeland, the first vintage Justin Verlander moment of
00:07this new chapter, didn't come with a packed crowd roaring at Joker Marchant Stadium, or with a 100 mar fastball
00:13painting the corner, no, it happened quietly, on the back fields, during a bullpen session that felt like a trip
00:20down memory lane, this is the same place where Verlander built the foundation for a 20 plus year career that
00:26seems destined for Cooperstown.
00:28Sure, the tools and facilities have evolved, but the work ethic? That hasn't changed one bit. Picture this. Pitch after
00:36pitch, catcher Dylan Dingler sets his mitt as a target, sometimes Verlander asks him to move it, explaining how his
00:43pitches behave when they're working right, other times, he just rears back and hits the spot, or lets the movement
00:49of the ball do the talking.
00:50Dingler, who's catching Verlander for the first time, shared how important it is to build that connection. You want to
00:57know exactly what they want, what kind of positioning, what kind of target, even at the end we were talking
01:02sequencing, what he likes, what he doesn't, that relationship is key.
01:06And Verlander echoed that, saying,
01:09A lot of it is aesthetic for me, what looks best so I can execute at the highest level. I
01:14also want him to be comfortable. Obviously he's a gold glover, so what he does back there is special and
01:20you don't want to take that away. It's about finding a comfort zone.
01:24Throughout the session, Dingler offered feedback on how he saw the pitches moving, and every so often Verlander would glance
01:30at an iPad to check the metrics, but Verlander was honest about the data overload pitchers face today.
01:37You can be inundated with data now. It can be an impediment to just feeling good. Some of the data
01:43I saw today I didn't really like, but it's my first time out there, getting after it. It takes a
01:48while for your body to sync up. These are things I didn't used to have.
01:52At one point, most of the Tigers pitching staff and several staffers gathered behind the bullpen mounds to watch. Even
01:58manager A.J. Hinch squatted down next to Dingler to see Verlander's pitches from a catcher's perspective.
02:04By the time Verlander wrapped up, the crowd had thinned to just Dingler, pitching coach Chris Fetter, and a few
02:10staffers. Verlander estimated he threw around 70 pitches in that nearly half-hour session, not including warm-ups.
02:17It was exactly the kind of workload he'd regularly put in during his younger years as a Tiger. But back
02:23then, he didn't have instant metric feedback. So what's next?
02:27Verlander's upcoming throwing session will be a live one against hitters. He won't be in the rotation when Grapefruit League
02:32play opens this weekend, but he'll slide in soon enough as spring training rolls along.
02:37Reflecting on the work, Verlander said, Compared with what I've done, this is heavier work. It's kind of like a
02:43springboard. You check a box volume-wise, recover, and then do it again five days later, building on the momentum.
02:49Ideally, you keep moving in that direction.
02:51As he walked around the complex, memories flooded back. It's something I definitely don't take for granted, Verlander added. Walking
02:59around. A lot of memories come in. I walked off the field today and saw a picture of Al Kaline
03:07celebrating with a bottle of champagne. I was there for that. It's a lot of little things that are really
03:12nostalgic.
03:17So, Tigers fans, after hearing about this bullpen session and seeing Verlander's dedication, are you ready to witness another chapter
03:24of his legacy unfold? Do you think he can still bring that vintage magic to the mound for Detroit?
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