SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Justin Verlander hasn¡¯t been shy about giving out pitching tips to young Giants hurlers over the first two weeks of Spring Training. But before Verlander made his Cactus League debut on Monday, his new teammates offered him one in return.
"I was told not to overconcern yourself with pitch shapes here and the movement of the ball because it¡¯s tough,¡± Verlander said. ¡°It¡¯s my first Spring Training in Arizona, so everyone was like, ¡®Hey man, it¡¯s a little different out here.¡¯ I¡¯ve heard it from everyone. But I think you still need to be honest with yourself."
The ball tends to fly in the dry, hot air here, which Verlander got a firsthand look at in the Giants¡¯ 2-2 split-squad tie against the Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium.
The three-time Cy Young winner topped out at 96 mph and threw 34 pitches over two innings, though he also misplaced a slider that Rockies designated hitter Michael Toglia drove out to right-center field for a solo home run in the top of the first inning. It was the only hit allowed by Verlander, who also walked one and struck out one in his Giants debut.
"Obviously, I hung the slider that I gave up the home run on,¡± Verlander said. ¡°I noticed it on the fly ball. The ball just never came down. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was going to go out or not, and it just went out by a fair bit."
Verlander, 42, said one of the challenges for him this spring will be to try not to fixate too much on the results, because he knows some of his pitches might not break as they normally would due to the desert climate. Logan Webb, for example, logged a 10.97 ERA over six Spring Training outings last year before delivering six innings of two-run ball in his 2024 Opening Day start at San Diego.
"Webby was very helpful with me talking about his Spring Training last year and what he was dealing with,¡± Verlander said. "How he was seeing the results not be great at all and then he comes into the season and it¡¯s like right where he wanted it. I think a lot of pitchers, me in particular, have a tendency to be a little overcritical and maybe tinker when you don¡¯t need to sometimes, so I¡¯m trying to balance that. This is the first time I¡¯ve had competition. I¡¯ll think about it. I¡¯ll be thinking about it all night. I won¡¯t get much sleep.¡±
While he wasn¡¯t entirely satisfied with his outing, Verlander is still well ahead of where he was at this point last year, when he was shut down with a right shoulder issue that ultimately forced him to open the season on the injured list for Houston.
"Overall, I¡¯m healthy,¡± Verlander said. ¡°I thought the velo was OK for the first start of the spring. Better than what I was doing last year, so that¡¯s a big improvement. Overall, I was pleased."
"First time out, he was just getting a feel for a new organization and Arizona for the first time,¡± said catcher Max Stassi, who also played with Verlander in Houston. ¡°I thought he threw the ball extremely well. This is a guy [whose] resume speaks for itself. He¡¯s been a horse in this league for a long, long time. He showed exactly why."
Worth noting
? Center fielder Jung Hoo Lee cranked his first home run of the spring off Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander on Monday, sending a drive out to right field to put the Giants on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Lee, 26, is now 2-for-5 over his first two games since returning from left shoulder surgery.
? Right-hander Mason Black endured a rough start in San Francisco¡¯s 7-4 split-squad loss against the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Monday, giving up four runs on four hits over 1 1/3 innings in his spring debut. Most of the damage came courtesy of former Giant Jorge Soler, who hit a mammoth three-run homer off Black in the first inning.
? Marco Luciano, who is transitioning from the infield to the outfield, made his second Cactus League start in left field at Tempe Diablo Stadium and launched a towering solo shot to straightaway center field off left-hander Jos¨¦ Suarez in the fourth inning.