It Was a Good Weekend to Be a Former Michigan Athlete

There are plenty of athletes that we miss cheering for here in Michigan, and a few of them had big weekends to make us miss them even more. Did you catch these former Michigan athlete's big performances?

Justin Verlander

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• Justin Verlander was back on track on the mound Saturday night, going eight stellar innings in the Houston Astros' 4-0 shutout of the Seattle Mariners.
• Verlander did not give up a run and allowed just three hits on the night.
• The win was his first of the season and his first since July 2020.
• He lasted eight innings in a start for the first time since September 2019 when he no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jordan Poole

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• Former Michigan Wolverine Jordan Poole was one of two NBA players to have huge playoff debuts, as he posted 30 points in the Golden State Warriors' 123-107 Game 1 win over the Denver Nuggets.
• Poole got more playing time with Steph Curry coming off the bench, as he was returning from his foot injury and played just 21 minutes.
• The guard shot 9-for-13 on the night, with five makes from three-point range.
• He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Mitch Richmond as the only Warriors with 30 points in their playoff debuts.
• Klay Thompson said of Poole after the game "He's just incredible. What a star in the making."

Duncan Robinson

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• Another former Michigan Wolverine had a big Game 1 in the NBA, as Duncan Robinson led the Miami Heat to a 115-91 rout of the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday afternoon.
• Robinson made nine of his 10 shots on the day, including eight makes from beyond the arc.
• His shooting performance broke a Heat playoff record for three-point makes in a day, which was seven held by Mike Miller and Damon Jones.
• The eight makes from three was also the second-most in NBA Playoff history by a reserve player. Only Jason Terry had more with nine of them for the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.

C.J. Cron

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• Back to the baseball world, C.J. Cron wasn't with the Detroit Tigers long due to the shortened 2020 season, but we do miss his power, and he showed that off with two long balls on Saturday in the Colorado Rockies' 9-6 win over the Chicago Cubs.
• Cron had a two-run shot in the fourth inning and then another long ball in the seventh.
• He already has five home runs on the season, which is tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays for most in the majors.
• The first baseman demolished the Cubs at Coors Field, hitting three home runs over two games.
• These were not cheap homers either, with the first one going 466 feet, which is third longest in the majors so far, and the second went 423 feet.