Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander claimed his 200th-career win Sunday. Since he is having one of his best seasons overall, he may have a chance to reach 300 wins if he continues to perform at this level.
Maybe Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander knew it was coming. After claiming the 200th win in his career, surely he anticipated a shout out, possibly a speech by manager A.J. Hinch noting how important the feat was.
Whatever Verlander expected, it likely didn’t match what actually happened. Houston celebrated by popping bottles of champagne, resembling a victory that clinched a playoff berth.
It might have been bittersweet for the 35-year-old, as he wasn’t at his best. Verlander yielded four runs in fewer than six innings, including three home runs. Nevertheless, the Astros offense offered much support – finally.
Now, considering his age and current campaign, baseball fans question whether 300 wins is within sight. The last pitcher to accomplish this goal was Randy Johnson in 2009.
The club Verlander became a part of Sunday is already becoming more exclusive. With baseball being driven by matchups, it’s difficult for starting pitchers to compile even 20 wins in a season, no matter how dominant the hurler is.
Gerrit Cole gave a speech to the team postgame and the players sprayed Verlander with champagne in celebration of 200 wins.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 20, 2018
Verlander is a pertinent example of this, as the Houston starter has a solid 2.65 ERA with a 12-8 record to show for it. And that’s pitching for the reigning World Series champions and current American League West leaders.
The seven-time All-Star needs at least 20 wins in each of the next five seasons to reach the 300-win threshold. Of course, if Verlander pitches past his 40-year-old birthday, he will need to average fewer wins per year.
And that’s what Verlander expects to do, as he said he envisions himself pitching into his 40s.
However, even if the ace pitcher continues to toss gem after gem for the Astros, it will be difficult to maintain this pace. At some point, fans and analysts expect a regression.
Nonetheless, the Houston hurler defied odds during the first few months of this season, posting a sub-2.00 ERA. Prior to the All-Star break, Verlander looked like the league’s Cy Young leader.
Analysts didn’t project him to perform this well. Frankly, Verlander might have not expected it either, mostly because he hasn’t boasted better numbers before in his career.
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He sports the sixth-best ERA in the entire MLB, along with the fourth-best WHIP. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is the best in the league, while his strikeout ratio is a career-high.
The Astros pitcher is currently a Cy Young candidate, though there are other guys – Chris Sale – that might claim the hardware. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t already accomplished something few pitchers have done in the past.
Thus, it’s an encouraging sign. Verlander’s current numbers inject some hope among his fans and followers. However, their expectations shouldn’t be sky-high, and Verlander won’t need to reach the 300-win mark to claim his status as a future Hall of Fame member.
Starting pitchers may not need to compile 300 wins to clinch their addition in Cooperstown. Of course, this is still a relevant topic in arguments nowadays.
Verlander already seems poised to enter the Hall just based on his durability and career numbers. He has an MVP on his resume, as well as World Series championship and Cy Young award.
Nevertheless, there is a possibility that he reaches 300 wins in his career if he continues to pitch at this level. And if he accomplished that, he would become part of an elite group – just 24 guys are currently in it.
But it will be an uphill battle for Verlander, who will have to maintain his durability and efficiency throughout time.