Justin Verlander knows how to endear himself to Philadelphia sports fans.
The Houston ace greeted Phillies fans on Monday by flipping them the bird when the Astros team bus arrived at Citizens Park before Game 3 of the World Series was rained out. He did so with a smile in response to what was in all likelihood a similar welcome by the Phillies faithful in attendance.
When the Astros bus returned on Tuesday for Game 3, Phillies fans were waiting once again. This time, Verlander met them face-to-face for a closeup exchange of birds. But not before signing some autographs.
Verlander met with a fan named Steph to sign her baseball. The two then posed together while they both flipped off the camera. They then took another photo sharing a thumbs-up.
The pictures turned out well and should make a nice souvenir for Steph — especially if her Phillies go on to win the World Series.
And Verlander certainly got a kick out of it — as he made clear on Twitter after Monday’s interaction with fans.
Tuesday wasn’t his last chance to interact with Phillies fans. Games 4 and 5 are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Philadelphia with Verlander slated to start in Game 5. He may not be in such a light-hearted mood before he takes the mound with a World Series game at stake.