Kate Upton praises 'inspiring' Verlander after near no-hitter

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander came oh-so-close to notching his third career no-hitter Wednesday night, but suffered understandable heartbreak when Los Angeles Angels catcher Chris Iannetta led off the ninth inning with a double.

Verlander, of course, must be disappointed over how things played out, but still should be encouraged with his dominant performance in light of how he has struggled much of the season. Oh, and the fact that he can rely upon the support of girlfriend Kate Upton can’t hurt, either.

The supermodel took to Twitter shortly after the game to praise Verlander, saying how proud she is of how he carries himself.

Now that should put a little pep in Verlander’s step.

After all, given how his season has gone, anything helps. Verlander endured a lengthy stint on the disabled list due to a triceps strain, causing his first major-league start of the season not to come until June 13. Even worse, the Tigers had gone 2-10 in his starts before Wednesday.

But things are turning around, to be sure. Verlander's performance has steadily improve as of late, capped by his dominant one-hit, nine-strikeout performance in Wednesday's win. So, the one-time Tigers ace can take solace in the fact that things are definitely trending upward.

“That’s the toughest part of a no-hitter is getting through that last inning,” Verlander acknowledged after the game. “How many times have you seen guys break it up in the ninth? It happens. Guys really lock in and if you make a mistake guys can hit it.”

Verlander clearly was able to put everything in its proper perspective despite the disappointment.

Oh, and the fact that Kate Upton remains firmly in his corner? Things obviously could be worse.

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