Houston Astros: Justin Verlander left legacy behind for a new one

The Regression

Everything looked flat.

The heater had no steam, no zip. And his off-speed stuff was ineffective. Analysts and fans wouldn’t have been surprised if Justin Verlander was tipping pitches. But the fact that he wasn’t exemplified how poor his performance was.

Nonetheless, this essentially described Verlander’s entire 2014 season, when he posted puzzling, subpar results. 

Some watching the right-hander couldn’t determine if he was still injured – he had what was dubbed a “core muscle repair surgery” early that year. Meanwhile, others pointed at his age, as several pitchers tend to regress once they pass the 30-year-old mark.

Some fans even blamed Kate Upton, who began dating Verlander after a short breakup toward the end of 2013.

It was apparent something was wrong. Verlander’s velocity dropped two ticks between 2012 and 2014. With just a few months left in 2014, he endured shoulder inflammation in his throwing arm. Red flags surrounded the top-tier starter. He also lost his status as an inarguable ace pitcher.

Stellar strikeout statistics transformed into almost-career-lows as he battled through a rough 2014 campaign. Additionally, opposing hitters slashed .271/.330/.426 against him that season.

It was almost inconceivable how dissimilar his numbers looked after just one year of regression. Nevertheless, it was a low point in his career.

Verlander could have folded, losing his intensity and his firepower. Instead, he reemerged as a reliable starter on the bump throughout the following three seasons.

He acquired attention from just about every competing squad during the 2017 trade deadline. And as the season came to a close, everyone – fans, analysts, even Verlander himself – knew his days in Detroit were numbered.

The Departure

The only thing stopping the Detroit Tigers from shipping Justin Verlander to a team of their choice was technically words on a piece of paper.

Detroit’s star pitcher committed to an extension – the largest in annual value at the time – in 2013 to keep him in town until 2019.

A no-trade clause seemed insignificant at the time. After earning a trip to the American League Championship series three years in a row, the Tigers looked prepared to take steps toward creating a dynasty.

Then the franchise took an ugly turn.

Detroit owned a sub-.500 record in 2015, the first time that occurred since 2008. What followed was a bounce-back season in 2016 – no postseason appearance – before the organization’s ultimate downfall in 2017.

The front office, frustrated and frazzled, took serious measures to add some firepower to the farm system. Eyes centered on Verlander and teammate Justin Upton. Phones rang and offers piled up from teams across the country.

It took time to maneuver the necessary moves to get Verlander’s approval for his exit. But after sitting down and negotiating a deal worthy of Verlander’s attention, the Tigers were successful.

There were no jersey-burning ceremonies. Fans didn’t ridicule the Motown legend once the deed was done. Rather, they appreciated his loyalty from the past 12 years, praising him for his influence on the city.

“Whenever his career ends, he will be looked at as a Detroit Tiger,” manager Brad Ausmus told MLB.com‘s Jason Beck. “He had a tremendous run here. He’s one of the best pitchers in the game and has been since he stepped foot on a Major League field. It’s not easy to trade a guy like that, who’s really an organizational icon.”

While Verlander may have sulked momentarily behind the scenes, he remained poised after the transaction finalized. At that moment, the hard-throwing veteran left Detroit, not knowing if he would ever don a Tigers jersey again in his lifetime.

And a new beginning commenced.

The Arrival

Houston had experience with star pitchers before.

Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan represented the franchise well in the past. Dallas Keuchel became a homemade Cy Young winner, despite possessing a power-laden repertoire.

But the Houston Astros never carried a pitcher with Justin Verlander’s fierce competitiveness, a component of his persona since he first arrived in the majors. Houston dealt three players in exchange for the dynamic dealer.

He didn’t disappoint.

Verlander cruised through six innings in his debut, giving the Astros a boost. It wasn’t short-lived either, as he continued to dazzle start after start – each one against a new opponent.

The hurler pushed the club atop the American League West by winning all five of his September starts. In that span, he racked up a ridiculous 43 strikeouts compared to just five walks. Moreover, he allowed only four earned runs in 34 innings – all solo home runs.

Verlander accrued a 1.8 WAR, greater than what he compiled during his entire 2014 season. His five wins matched his total from the entire 2015 season despite pitching in 15 fewer games.

He turned back the clock, posting similar numbers like those he notched during his prime.

But he didn’t intend to stop. Most fans anticipated him to play a role in the regular season. Yet, they forgot just how effective he could be in the spotlight.

The Astros put him in those moments repeatedly as the season reached its end. And he displayed why he was arguably the most sought-after trade bait in that summer.

The Dominance

A 6-foot-5, 225-pound starting pitcher stands atop the mound Oct. 14, confronting the second-best offense in the bigs. That offense contained a legacy of its own – the most storied franchise in history on the cusp of its 43rd World Series appearance.

But Justin Verlander wasn’t fazed by the big bats and the team’s history. His performance exhibited that belief.

He looked reborn, his fastball darting past opposing hitters, swerving from left to right. His curveball had sluggers swinging for the fences, only to result in a short walk back to the dugout.

Verlander finished the night with a one-run, complete-game, 13-strikeout effort. Just one player throughout the regular season accomplished the same feat against the Bronx Bombers – Corey Kluber only had 11 whiffs in that outing.

Houston soon earned a birth to the World Series. Verlander didn’t claim a victory in the series, but he did what he could, limiting the Dodgers to five runs across 12 innings.

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Despite the not-so-stellar performances in on the biggest stage in his career, Verlander played a pivotal role in for the Astros. And that was just for two months.

After a Houston spring, Verlander is posting the best numbers of his career. Also, he sits atop the league with a minuscule 1.05 ERA and 0.71 WHIP, and he ranks fourth in strikeouts.

Verlander is one reason why the Astros rotation is on a historic stretch to begin the year. He will likely fall back to Earth at some point this season, but it’s been one of the best stories in the league this season – no one is talking about it.

The team’s ace will maintain his routine – fierce competitiveness and physical prowess. Moreover, is on a mission to guide the club back to the Fall Classic.

However, Verlander hasn’t forgotten to have fun at times. After dealing with criticism and hecklers for years, he found ways to hark and reply to them somewhat playfully.

Just check out his antics in the dugout or his trolls on twitter.

On and off the field, Verlander is a treasure. He pumps in fastballs that sit close to 100 mph. He perplexes even the best hitters in baseball with his off-speed repertoire.

And he’s arguably built two legacies throughout his career. Yet this may just be the beginning of his story with the Astros.

Next: Houston's offense isn't as bad as it looks

So far, it seems that he’s made a pretty good impression.