JustIncredible

Just four days after Minnesota's Francisco Liriano etched his name into the record books by throwing a no-hitter, Tigers ace Justin Verlander joined him by tossing the second no-no of his career and seventh in Tigers franchise history.

On the road in Toronto while facing the Blue Jays, Verlander who normally baffles his victims via the strikeout, having led the American League in K's in 2009, instead managed to get the opposition out by way of the ground and fly ball variety. And though he didn't amass an impressive strikeout total like he did in 2007 when compiling 12 K's in his first no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers, the four punch outs which also matched a season-low, enabled him to coast through innings with a relatively low pitch-count heading into the latter innings of the ballgame. Verlander did have his strikeout stuff though as his fastball reached speeds up to 101 MPH as late as the 7th inning.

His only flaw would come with one out in the 8th inning when he walked Jays rookie catcher J.P. Arencebia in a 12-pitch at-bat that ended in a ball just millimeters off the plate. Had it not been for the walk, Verlander would've had a perfecto as no other Blue Jay reached base. However, the former AL Rookie of the Year did face the minimum 27 batters as Toronto third baseman Edwin Encarnacion followed Arencebia's walk by hitting into an inning-ending double play. Verlander's masterful performance was capped off by striking out Rajai Davis swinging en route to a 9-0 victory. The 28 year old hurler was treated to a Gatorade shower after his teammates rushed the mound to congratulate him on his magnificent feat.

With a second no-hitter on his resume, Verlander became just the seventh pitcher since 1954 to toss a no-no while facing the minimum (27 batters) and only the 28th player in modern Major League history to record multiple no-hitter's. Even after joining the short list of pitchers with more than one no-hitter, Verlander has his sights on an even greater achievement and says he's aiming for 7 no-no's, a territory only one man has been able to reach -- the legendary Nolan Ryan.

Preparing for his voyage, the Tigers righty will have the odds against him as only five pitchers have thrown more than two no-hitters. But as a proud Fantasy owner of Verlander, I'll be wishing him luck and cheering him on every inch of the way.

Liriano-no hitter

After posting a godly 12-3 record and 2.16 ERA in 2006, the Minnesota Twins appeared to have found the perfect gem in Francisco Liriano to compliment their ace Johan Santana. However, Tommy John surgery during the offseason would cause him to miss the entire 2007 season. After logging back-to-back sub-par seasons in 2008-2009 following his procedure, the Liriano of old appeared to have somewhat revived his career by finishing his 2010 campaign four games over .500 and an ERA of 3.62 while setting a career high in strikeouts with 201. Hoping to continue his success on into the following year, he would instead encounter the exact opposite as a rocky start to his 2011 season would threaten his spot in the rotation.

Entering Tuesday's game in Chicago against the division rival White Sox, Liriano owned a dismal record of 1-4 with an ERA of 9.13 which became a cause for concern within the Twins organization. With his job on the line, Liriano stepped up and secured his spot in the rotation in the biggest and most surprising of ways by throwing a no-hitter. With little to no signs of life at the plate for either team, the match seemed to be on its way to a scoreless deadlock when finally Minnesota managed to get on the board. The games lone run came in the 4th inning when Jason Kubel hit his third home run of the season, giving Minnesota a 1-0 advantage. The one run would prove to be all the offense they needed as Liriano did the rest along with some stellar defense highlighted by outfielder Denard Span and third baseman Danny Valencia, both of whom robbed Chicago's Carlos Quentin of a hit, preserving the no-hit bid.

Prior to throwing the seventh no-hitter in Twins franchise history, Liriano had never thrown a complete game, let alone a shutout in his Major League career which started in 2006. And though he survived the game without surrendering any hits, Liriano was far from his best and was anything but perfect. Despite finishing the night with nine hit-less frames, Liriano walked 6 batters while striking out just 2. As for Minnesota, they'll take the win any way possible. The historic feat comes at a perfect time as the Twins who came into the season as AL Central favorites, currently own the worst record in the American League at a disappointing 10-18 after losing six straight. Much to blame for their recent struggles outside of the rotation of coarse, is the injuries to both Delmon Young and former AL MVP Joe Mauer. Two integral parts to their offense last season which led to a division title.

If Liriano can ride his no-hitter to create a bit of confidence, it would do wonders for the Twins who are currently 10 games behind the division leading Cleveland Indians. While the Twins hope to bounce back from their disappointing start to the season, it's only a matter of time before the Tribe begin to cool off. After all, they finished 2010 among the worst teams in the league -- 24 games below the .500 mark (69-93).

Noteworthy: Liriano became just the fifth pitcher in the last 30 years to throw a no-hitter that included more walks than strikeouts. Entering the game, his 9.13 ERA was the second-highest among pitchers in a minimum of three starts to go on and toss a no-hitter.