"What a fraud" "Straight trash" - Houston Astros fans infuriated with Justin Verlander's poor performance in first playoff game against the Seattle Mariners

Justin Verlander had an outing that he would like to forget against the Seattle Mariners. The ace only went four innings, giving up ten hits and six runs. He didn't look like he had all season long today.

He looked frustrated out on the mound and didn't have the command he usually does. The Seattle batters were able to attack him early and didn't allow him to get into a grove. This wasn't the start the AL Cy Young hopeful had in mind.

The Houston Astros were able to battle back despite Justin Verlander's poor performance on the mound today. They won the game 8-7 on a walk-off three-run home run off the bat of Yordan Alvarez.

Fans weren't pleased with Verlander's performance today though. They were furious that the ace came out and threw a dud to start off the playoffs for the Astros. Fans don't care how well he pitched in the regular season if he can't pitch in the playoffs.

Some fans are pointing out how poor of a pitcher Justin Verlander is in the postseason. When the Astros were in the World Series in 2019, he went 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA against the Washington Nationals. He hasn't quite shown his regular-season dominance in the postseason.

The Houston Astros' rally despite Justin Verlander's poor outing is what this team is all about

The Houston Astros' rally in the ninth inning was incredible. The team is never out of the game no matter what the score is. They fight until the final out is made.

At no point in the game did the Astros have the lead until Yordan's walk-off home run. The Mariners quickly jumped on Justin Verlander, scoring six runs in just four innings.

Down 4 runs in the eighth inning, Alex Bregman cut the deficit in half with a two-run home run. Down to their final out in the ninth inning, Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run home run off Robbie Ray to steal the game for the Astros.

The team knows they are never out of the ballgame. Most teams would get down on themselves and move onto the next game, but that's what makes this team different. They have been in this position before and know what it takes to win in October.

The Astros know how good they are and that's what will make them tough to be in a five-game series.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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