Verlander autographed a ball for the fan and then took some photos. One picture featured the pair with their thumbs up, while the other shows them with their middle fingers up.
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According to Al Norfleet, the veteran team bus driver with his own podcast called Inside Sports from the Driver's Seat, not only was Verlander joking with a female fan when he was recorded giving the "one-finger salute" getting off Al's bus earlier this week - it turned into a unique experience.
"This was very unique for him to shoot the finger back at her- and then to laugh," Norfleet explained to ABC13. "And when he laughed, she saw it and she knew then: it wasn't something out of disrespect. He was embracing what she did. It was a very unique experience for her."
That's because the following day, Verlander saw the fan again - and approached her.
Her name is Stephanie Dilanni, and she's a diehard Philly sports fan. Dilanni shared her photos from the encounter with us.
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Dilanni says while she absolutely respects Verlander for being a good sport, she will never root for anyone playing against Philly. So, she's clearly cheering for the Phillies in Game 5 - and might be letting some "birds" fly during the game.
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