Astros ace Justin Verlander ages in reverse, tosses no-hitter
By Manny Gómez
At the young age of 36, Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander is doing his best Benjamin Button impression by looking better than ever.
Eight years ago, Justin Verlander tossed a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays in Rogers Centre, facing the minimum 27 hitters. On Sunday, it was deja-vu all over again. The Houston Astros ace executed another no-no against the Blue Jays, in their building, while retiring the final 26 batters in a row.
This is Verlander’s third no-hitter of his career. The first one being the first-ever recorded in Comerica Park when the ace played for the Detroit Tigers back in 2007.
Verlander has done his best Benjamin Button impression since joining the Astros organization via a trade back in 2017. In the 28 starts prior to being traded to the ‘Stros, Verlander was pitching to a 3.82 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.
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That season, a brawl between the New York Yankees and Tigers sparked tension between Verlander and several teammates, indicating that perhaps the ace wasn’t too enamored with the Tigers organization at the time.
Then, in the time since joining the Astros, Verlander is pitching like he never has before. In 68 starts in Houston, Verlander has a sub-2.50 ERA and a sub-1 WHIP. What’s more, this season, he has the second-best WHIP for a pitcher in a single-season ever, trailing only Pedro Martinez‘s 1999 season.
The only other pitcher I can remember demonstrating this level of dominance is Roger Clemens back in 1997 and 1998. At the age of 34 and 35, Clemens won two consecutive AL Cy Young awards, silencing critics that felt he was washed up at the time.
He did it again – coincidentally – with the Astros in 2005, his age-42 season. That year, the “Rocket” pitched to a career-low 1.87 ERA.
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Currently, Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander is 17-5 with a 2.56 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. Despite giving up the most home runs of his career, he’s finding ways to get the job done. After today’s performance, it’s hard to imagine anyone else walking away with the AL Cy Young award.