LAKELAND, Fla. – Seeing Justin Verlander wearing a Tigers uniform again feels a bit like time travel: a full-circle experience not just for a pitcher who has already secured his place among the best of his generation, but also for the fans who cheered him along the way.
On Thursday, Jasson Domínguez had a flashback of his own.
Not all the way to Verlander’s Motown era, when he was piling up All-Star appearances and the first of his Cy Young Awards while dominating the American League. But to September 2023, a Friday evening in Houston, when the “Martian” took his first swing in a Major League game.
“That was the first home run of my career,” Domínguez said, with a smile. “When I saw he was the starting pitcher, of course, I thought about it.”
Domínguez cleared the left-field wall with that first swing back on Sept. 1, 2023, launching a drive into the Crawford Boxes of what was then known as Minute Maid Park.
“For me, the most important thing was the homer, but also that my family was there,” Domínguez said. “It was the first time my mom got to see me play professionally at all, and that was big for me.”
Domínguez and Verlander had not faced off since that night. Reunited 60 feet and six feet apart on a sunny afternoon in Central Florida, the result was the same – another swing and another homer, this time clearing the wall in right-center.
J.C. Escarra followed with a blast as the Yankees belted back-to-back homers off Verlander; Seth Brown added a third one inning later.
Domínguez wasn’t the only Yankee enjoying the retro sight of Verlander in Detroit colors.
Will Warren said he didn’t realize he was facing Verlander until the two pitchers began their warmup routines across the outfield. Warren quickly deferred to Verlander, a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer.
“I was like, I’m going to move over, because he’s done this for a lot longer than I have,” said Warren, who navigated six innings of efficient two-run ball in the Yankees' 4-3 win over the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. “I remember him pitching for the Tigers; him and [Max] Scherzer.
“It’s unreal. He’s done this so good for so long, so it’s special to go out there and compete against him.”
It has been a strong spring for Domínguez, who entered camp facing uncertainty about his role after Trent Grisham accepted a qualifying offer and Cody Bellinger re-signed a long-term deal.
While the Yankees have indicated Domínguez may begin the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, it would be a decision based upon the scarcity of playing time in the Majors, not his spring performance.
In 11 games, Domínguez is batting .333 (11-for-33) with two doubles, three homers and nine RBIs, adding two stolen bases.
“I just go day by day, trying to do my job,” Domínguez said. “At the end of the day, whatever decision comes out, I don’t control that. I just try to go day by day and then see what happens.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he has been impressed with how Domínguez has handled the situation.
“The easy answer is, yes, I am, but I’m also not surprised,” Boone said. “He’s good at life. He’s not an up-and-down person. He’s consistent. He’s a happy guy every day, and I think appreciative for a lot of things.”