Justin Verlander wants to repair the baseballs; MLB would be wise to hear his pitch – The Athletic

CLEVELAND – Before being called to start the all-star game, Justin Verlander received another call – directly in the director's office.

Waiting for him in this office on Monday afternoon was not a principal, nor even the commissioner, Rob Manfred. But when Manfred's favorite lieutenants – Joe Torre, Jim Leyland, and at least one other MLB official – decided that it was time to move to the clubhouse for a visit, it was safe to assume that it was time for a visit. they did not carry scrapbooks to remember the ALCS 2012..

"I may have even facilitated this meeting," admitted Gerrit Cole, his teammate at Verlander Astros, Tuesday night after the American League finished the National League, 4-3, in the All-Star Game. "I saw that Jim and Joe were in director Alex Cora's office. And they said hello. Then Jim, without much blasphemy, said, "Just bring Justin here now." So I went out and said, "Hey, Skip wants to see you." And he said, "OK."