CLEVELAND — On a night the Detroit Tigers desperately needed a victory, Justin Verlander notched a special one of his own.
Verlander gave Detroit exactly what it needed, becoming baseball’s first 17-game winner and getting his 100th career win as the division-leading Tigers opened a three-game lead in the AL Central with a 4-3 win over the second-place Cleveland Indians on Thursday night.
Verlander (17-5) allowed three hits and struck out 10 in seven dominant innings as the Tigers avoided a three- game sweep and ended a 13-game losing streak in Cleveland. He also was on the mound for Detroit’s previous win at Progressive Field on May 8, 2010.
“It’s exciting to get there, but in the big scheme of things it doesn’t mean all that much,” Verlander said. “It’s not like 100 wins was ever a goal. There’s other things going on here with this team. Obviously, this win was special because of the other circumstances surrounding it.”
Fausto Carmona (5-12) gave the Indians a solid outing, but they couldn’t do enough against Verlander, who despite saying he was battling himself internally from the outset, added another performance to a resume that has Cy Young clout.
“I didn’t have a good feel,” Verlander said. “But I was able to find enough to get through seven (innings).”
Verlander didn’t do it alone. He got some help from center fielder Austin Jackson, who made a sensational, leaping catch against the center-field wall in the sixth to preserve Detroit’s 4-3 lead.
“He seems to make the play seem routine, when it’s not,” Verlander said. “He made a fantastic play once again.”
Joaquin Benoit pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, and closer Jose Valverde worked the ninth for his 33rd consecutive save, breaking the single-season club record he shared with Guillermo Hernandez, who did it in 1984.
The teams will play 10 more times, including a season-ending three-game series at Comerica Park from Sept. 26-28.
