


Justin Verlander’s first outing for the Mets will help him fit in with his struggling teammates.
Verlander, 40, made his debut for the Mets on Thursday against his former team, the Tigers, after suffering a strained teres major muscle on his throwing arm during spring training.
The three-time Cy Young winner was given a standing ovation by Detroit fans in his return, and they had reason to keep cheering into the first inning.
Verlander gave up back-to-back, one-out solo home runs to outfielder Riley Greene and shortstop Javy Baez before getting the final two outs.
Verlander signed with the Mets on a two-year, $86 million deal in December.
“It’s nice to finally sort of get that little energy, that nervousness starts to kick in,” Verlander said Wednesday before his Mets debut.
Verlander pitched just one rehab game, last week in Double-A Binghamton.
“I wanted to get back here as soon as possible, but also safely,” he told reporters this week.
“In my mind I thought it was a fairly aggressive [approach], but fair in a good way. It’s a little bit of a jump, but I thought it was very doable, especially since I continued throwing since spring training.”
The Mets have lost eight of 10 games after Max Scherzer was roughed up in the second half of a doubleheader sweep by the Tigers on Wednesday.