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It's understandable that even the best players go through their struggles at the plate, but did they really have to choose now?

Why can't everybody be like Justin Verlander? 2013 was actually one of his down years, leading some to believe he couldn't be counted upon as the ace of the Detroit Tigers pitching staff come playoff time.

Those fears have been unwarranted, as Verlander has given up just a single run in 23 postseason innings, striking out at least 10 batters in each of his three starts.

Going into the final two games of the St. Louis Cardinals-Los Angeles Dodgers matchup in the National League Championship Series, all the talk has centered on starting pitching.

It's impossible to imagine the opening three games of the American League Championship Series playing out any better for the Detroit Tigers. And yet, it's impossible to imagine the outcomes being any worse.

Despite a third straight unequivocally dominant effort by a starting pitcher, the Tigers somehow trail the Boston Red Sox two games to one.

A Yasiel Puig 2013 Bowman Chrome Superfractor rookie card that is worth $25,000 can be yours if you're lucky enough to select the right Super Box.

A funny thing has happened in the American League Championship Series that doesn't get talked about enough: Boston’s pitching staff is really, really good. 

The latest evidence of that came in Detroit on Tuesday with John Lackey matching Justin Verlander pitch for pitch over 6.2 shutout innings before giving way to the dynamic bullpen trio of Craig Breslow, Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara. 

A group of St. Louis Cardinals pitchers (Chris Carpenter, Jake Westbrook and Adam Wainwright) attempted to get a cop to join in on their dance, but he was having none of it. 

Way to stay professional while on the job, officer.

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The MLB playoffs are heating up with some incredible games going down in both the ALCS and the NLCS, and as things move closer and closer to the 2013 MLB World Series, one thing will be on the mind of baseball fans everywhere, especially fans whose teams have been eliminated: free agency. 

Here is a quick look at some of the best bats coming onto the free agency market this offseason.

For his first 99 pitches, Justin Verlander was unhittable. The next offering is single-handedly responsible for giving the Boston Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.

Mike Napoli hit that 100th pitch over the right-center-field fence at Comerica Park and John Lackey threw 6.2 shutout innings as the Red Sox bested the Detroit Tigers ace en route to a 1-0 victory on Tuesday evening.

Justin Verlander threw six scoreless innings before the Boston Red Sox scored off of this Mike Napoli home run in the top of the seventh inning.

That HR by Napoli broke a 34-inning scoreless streak for Justin Verlander dating back to the regular season. #postseason

The Cardinals take a 3-1 series lead over the LA Dodgers with a 4-2 win. Matt Holliday lead the way with a 2-run HR and the Cardinals bullpen 3.2 innings of shutout ball. Thanks for hanging out with us!

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