Cereal Thriller: Detroit Tigers Pitcher Scores Home Run with Fastball Flakes

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander was the best pitcher in the American League last year, taking home his first Cy Young award after winning 24 games last year. So he capitalized a little bit on his popularity in the offseason and allowed his name to be put on a cereal to be sold in Meijer stores in the region as well as online.

Well, Verlander’s Fastball Flakes are selling like crazy. Originally, 100,000 “limited-edition” boxes were ordered but Crain’s Detroit Business reports that 110,000 boxes have been sold since the charity-supporting cereal went on sale in February.

“This has been one of our more successful products,” said Doug Ritchart, an account manager with the cereal’s manufacturer, Pittsburgh-based PBL Sports Inc., to Crain's.

Verlander is in the middle of a five-year, $80 million contract so he’s not hurting for cash. As a result, the profits from the sale of the cereal are all going to veterans medical assistance at two facilities in Michigan, according to USA Today.

PBL most famous product of all time was Flutie’s Flakes, a cereal featuring former Buffalo Bills quarterback Doug Flutie, which sold more than 2 million boxes. Good luck beating that, Verlander.