HOUSTON—Justin Verlander was answering questions about his start for the Houston Astros in Friday night’s World Series opener when the head of the opposition’s baseball staff took the unorthodox step of walking into the interview room to extend a hand.
“Where did you start your career again?” Philadelphia Phillies executive Dave Dombrowski said with a grin.
As Detroit’s general manager, Dombrowski made Verlander the No. 2 pick in the 2004 amateur draft.
“He’s still wearing the same cologne,” Verlander told his audience. “It’s a very distinct one. I remember that smell.”
Verlander has a nose for success, not just fragrance—it was Paul Sebastian, Dombrowski said later. The 39-year-old right-hander likely is headed to his third Cy Young Award in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, going 18-4 with a major league-best 1.75 ERA to give him a 244-133 record and a 3.24 ERA in 17 seasons….