Verlander Loses No-No in 9th

Last night against the Angels, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander carried a no-hitter into the 9th inning.

But in that 9th inning, you saw the true meaning of baseball as a "game of inches," when Verlander lost his no-hitter courtesy of a Chris Iannetta double.

As a former collegiate pitcher, it's tough to see a guy lose a no-hitter that way. Not only did he lose it in the 9th, he lost it by just inches.

Verlander is just 2-6 this season since coming back from injury. He has a 3.45 ERA. He may not be the pitcher you remember him being from 2006-2012, when he was one of the best in the game, but he's still a really good big league arm.

And even though he may not be what you remember him as anymore, it's great to see some flashes of that.

Too bad he missed the no-no by a matter of inches.