Justin Verlander fought his way out of a hole in the ninth inning to finish off a complete-game gem in Detroit's 3-2 road win over Kansas City on Monday.
The Cy Young winner took a 3-1 advantage into the ninth inning where he allowed a run and saw Kansas City load the bases with two outs before rearing back to blow away Alex Gordon for the final out.
Verlander struck out nine batters and labored through 131 pitches on the night to end a string of two quality starts where he failed to get a win.
Kansas City starter Danny Duffy hung tough through six-and-two-third innings, striking out seven, but the Royals (3-7) could not avoid losing their fifth consecutive game.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles. Editing by Patrick Johnston)
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