Josh Harrison knew the answer before the reporter asked him the question.
"I broke up the no-hitter," Harrison said with a grin.
Well, then.
It was almost seven years to the day -- May 18, 2012 -- that Harrison stole a no-hitter from Justin Verlander with a one-out single in the ninth inning. The two will meet again Wednesday night when Verlander and the Astros take on the Tigers at Comerica Park.
Both of them remember the at-bat like it was yesterday. For Harrison, it's a nice feather in the cap. For Verlander, it's more like a thorn in the side, one that stabs him anytime Harrison's name is mentioned.
Sounds about right, said Harrison.
"No-hitters are rare, man. It's always going to be something to remember. You carry one into the ninth inning, I think that's something that’s always going to be with you, whether you want to forget it or not -- just like I won’t forget breaking it up," Harrison said.
Harrison remembers much more than just breaking it up. He remembers being the DH that night -- a rarity for an NL player. He remembers Verlander throwing him two-seam fastballs, between 93 and 94 mph, in his first few at-bats. He remembers hitting a fly ball that Don Kelly tracked down, "full extension," in the left-center field gap.
And then he remembers Verlander cranking it up to 97, 98 mph against the rest of the Pirates lineup as the game wore on.
So in the inning before his final at-bat, Harrison called the team's hitting coach into the cage beneath the dugout and told him to pump some pitches from close range. He wanted to see something, anything, that would resemble the heat Verlander was hurling on the mound.
Then Harrison stepped to the plate in the ninth ... a sold-out Friday night crowd at Comerica Park on its feet, Verlander dealing nothing but gas ... "and he threw me all sliders." Of course he did.
"Guessing game," said Harrison. "Baseball, it’s a chess match."
"Just got a piece of one and it found some outfield grass," Harrison said with a smile.
Harrison doesn't recall the look on Verlander's face. Then 23 years old and in just his second big-league season, he probably avoided his gaze. Instead, he got to first base, pounded fists with his coach and ...
"I just remember Miggy throwing his gum at me," Harrison said.
The hit was inconsequential. The Tigers were up 6-0. But Harrison would by lying if he said it wasn't satisfying.
Big-league players are a proud bunch, and going down without a hit is about as humbling as it gets.
"I just remember it was a big sigh of relief looking to the dugout. We were losing, but the dugout was, like, 'Heyyyy, at least we're not being no-hit!'" Harrison said with a laugh. "Granted, you want to win every game, but sometimes there’s small victories."
(A few years later, Harrison was on the other end of things when he was retired by the Nationals' Max Scherzer for the final out of a no-hitter. What goes around comes around.)
Speaking of victories, Verlander has picked up 98 of them since that night in 2012. He doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon. But he hasn't spun another no-no, despite a handful of close calls. He's got two in his career, something 26 other pitchers can say.
Only five -- Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller, Cy Young and Larry Corcoran (ever heard of 'em?) -- can say they've spun three. Maybe Justin Verlander will join them yet.
If not for Josh Harrison, he'd already be hunting down No. 4.
"Like I said, man, no-hitters are rare. He was two outs away from one and I just so happened to get a hit. However many he does end his career with, it could always be one more," Harrison said. "It’s just the name of the game."