Houston Astros: Justin Verlander charged with $1 million check by Dodgers fan

Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander helped the franchise earn its first World Series ever. But Dodgers fans aren’t quite over the heartbreaking loss.

Justin Verlander is accustomed to making opposing teams look foolish when he faces them. Last year, the Houston Astros ace mowed down the juggernaut Dodgers lineup to help his franchise claim its first title.

Now Los Angeles is trying to enact revenge any way it can. This time, however, it wasn’t on the baseball field.

The Beverly Hills Hotel, famous for its Cabana Café, took matters into its own hands Friday. A waiter from the hotel surprised Verlander with a bill worth more than $1 million.

Verlander wasn’t aware he ordered a “Dodger Killer.” But essentially, the 35-year-old hurler can’t help it. The Houston pitcher has stellar numbers against the Los Angeles club during his short tenure in Texas.

The Dodgers never faced Verlander during his long stint with the Tigers. Yet, throughout the last calendar year, they’ve seen him three times.

Verlander won two of those matchups, including the most recent one – he struck out 14 hitters. But fans may forget that Los Angeles defeated the former MVP in Game 6 of the World Series.

Of course, Verlander allowed just two runs across six innings with nine strikeouts.

However, had the seven-time All-Star not dominated the Dodgers this season, his numbers would look much more mediocre. But with that outing, Verlander has a lower WHIP against Los Angeles than any other team.

Moreover, his 6.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks third compared to his numbers against other clubs. And his strikeout rate ranks within the top seven.

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Nevertheless, there aren’t many teams with a ton of success against the Astros pitcher, especially since he joined the club.

Verlander didn’t allow more than three runs in an outing this season until June 25. Since then, he’s been roughed up in some outings, primarily against Seattle and his old team in Detroit.

But the former Cy Young winner still boasts tremendous numbers. His WHIP remains below 1.00, while his strikeout-to-walk ratio leads the MLB. And he ranks in the top five in other categories, like quality starts and strikeouts per nine innings.

Needless to say, Verlander is essentially a killer of nearly any team he faces.

But Los Angeles fans won’t have to witness another brutal outcome against the Houston hurler unless a World Series rematch ensues. The Astros won’t play the Dodgers in the 2019 regular season.

So unless both teams return to the Fall Classic, which is possible, Los Angeles will have to keep charging him $1 million to get retaliation.