Justin Verlander tried to pick off his old teammate Alex Avila, who could only react by laughing

Being teammates with someone means getting to know a person closer than even their spouse. Spending every day together on buses and planes, in clubhouses and dugouts, means knowing their every hope, fear, talent and skill.
Or, in Alex Avila's case, his blazing speed. In the third inning of the the White Sox's 5-2 loss to the Tigers on Sunday, Avila worked a walk off his former teammate Justin Verlander.
With such a threat on the bases -- what with Avila's 0-for-4 record on steals since 2013 -- Verlander had no choice but to keep him close. After all, Avila had joked on Friday that he would try to steal off his ex-teammate if given the chance: 

The catcher told MLB.com's Scott Merkin after the game, "I guess he really thought I was going to steal." He added, "I think sometimes he forgets who's over there and he just throws it ..."
<o:p>After catching Verlander since making his Major League debut in 2009, the new White Sox backstop admitted that stepping into the box "was a little strange, but I think we were both excited for it. I know I was. I just tried to compete."
While Verlander may have prevented Avila from swiping a base, Avila got the last laugh. After singling in the seventh inning, Avila admitted that the right-hander "just kind of yelled, 'Noooo,' or something like that."