HOUSTON - Houston Astro's ace Justin Verlander summed up his marquee Game 1 American League Division Series matchup against Chris Sale perfectly.

"We faced off a lot of times," Verlander said Wednesday, on the eve of the Game 1 match. "You know what type of matchup it's going to be. It's going to be a grind. It's kind of like the first person to blink."

Verlander, who spent his entire 13-year career in Detroit before a trade to Houston at the deadline this summer, has quite a bit of familiarity in facing Sale.

Prior to his offseason trade to Boston, Sale spent the first seven years of his career pitching for the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.

The two have faced off seven times over their careers, including twice this season.

In those seven starts, Sale has a 2.95 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 16 walks.

Verlander has a 1.93 ERA with 44 strikeouts and eight walks.

"As a starting pitcher, you love those battles, but in the regular season kind of see who you're going up against, it's kind of like, all right, let's strap it on and go, because you know it's going to be that type of battle," Verlander said. "He's a fierce competitor I always enjoyed watching him pitch."

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