The last time a Tigers pitcher not named Jose Valverde allowed an earned run against was during the fifth inning of the team's 2-0 loss to the Oakland Athletics in Game 3 of the ALDS.  That was 42 innings ago, and with Justin Verlander on the mound for Game 3 of the ALCS last night, the Yankees' chances of ending that streak weren't looking  good.

The Yanks would eventually get to Verlander, thanks to a ninth inning solo home run off the

bat of Eduardo Nunez, but by then the damage was done, as the 2011 AL MVP went 8 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run against, while striking out three.  He would hand the ball over to Phil Coke with the Tigers leading 2-1, and that was how the game would end, as Detroit now finds themselves just one win away from a trip to the World Series.

With a 3-0 series lead, the Tigers will send Max Scherzer to the mound as the franchise attempts to claim their first AL Pennant since 2006.  As for Verlander, he is now 3-0 in the postseason with a remarkable 0.74 ERA.  He likely won't be needed again until the World Series, but he has made his mark on the ALCS with his Game 3 performance, which earned him “The Stat Line of the Night” for Tuesday, October 16, 2012.