Justin Verlander pitches for the Mets and won two World Series titles with the Houston Astros, but he will always be a part of Detroit. It was there that he started his storied career, won his first of three Cy Young Awards and his one Most Valuable Player Award and fired two of his three career no-hitters. So when three Tigers pitchers combined to throw the ninth no-hitter in club history — and the 20th combined no-hitter in major league history — Verlander was paying attention. “My wife informed me of how young she was when that happened and then somebody else told me how young I looked,” Verlander said, smiling and good-naturedly muttering an expletive that emphasized how long ago that was. But more than any other active player, he knows that ballpark, that city and that team’s history.

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Persons: Justin Verlander, Cy Young, — Verlander, “, ” Verlander, Matt Manning, Jason Foley, Alex Lange Organizations: Mets, Houston Astros, Tigers, Comerica, Blue Jays Locations: Detroit, Milwaukee