Justin Verlander Thinks He Can Win 300 Games

JUPITER, Fla. – It works in the last 250 hits, besides it gains 300 wins. That would be a convenient shortcut for Justin Verlander’s career, who has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

Verlander took the mound for the Houston Astros in Jupiter, Fla., in his first competitive start on Friday since opening day in July 2020. In two innings, St. He faced seven daily players for the Louis Cardinals, allowing two points and one. to walk. The Cardinals were never able to get the ball out of the infield, and Verlander played with their best shooters – a slider to Paul Goldschmidt, a curve to Nolan Arenado. His fastball reached speeds of 97 miles per hour.

“There’s a lot of positive things to build here,” Verlander said later in the clubhouse. “It’s not as sharp as I’d like, but I think that’s pretty rigorous.”

Verlander has standards. The pandemic and Tommy John surgery wiped out nearly two seasons from a Hall of Fame resume that included 226 victories, most of them among active pitchers. Yet Verlander, 39, still believes he can hit 300 — and doubts anyone will ever be able to handle the workload for Detroit in 2011, when he shot 251 hits on his way to the American League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards.

“I was a swerve, I felt like it, because I threw 100 and I was sustainable,” he said, referring to his top speed. “The problem is you now have all these kids who were taught how to shoot hard at a young age, and they just can’t sustain that long run. Therefore, you should significantly monitor workloads; otherwise they will be damaged. I mean, more out of necessity than anything else.”

Analytics also played a role, Verlander said, with stats encouraging executives to pull in newbies after two rounds of the series. But the data revolution also has its benefits – modern startups take fewer turns per season than veterans, but they can outlast their careers.

And make no mistake: Verlander wants to last longer. He re-signed with the Astros for a year and $25 million, plus a $25 million player option if he works in 130 innings. The road to 300 wins – a point last reached by Randy Johnson in 2009 – lies ahead.

“Can I do that? Yes,” he said seriously.

And after all he’s accomplished, why would he want that?

“So that’s who I am,” said Verlander, who has a younger daughter with his wife, supermodel Kate Upton. “The fire is still burning. I have a lot of work at home right now with a daughter and my family, and if I still didn’t have that fire, I wouldn’t be playing. But I think advances in medicine will help and can help – the ability to really dive into body mechanics and healing. The ability to retrieve data is now better than before. It’s different, and I think you can use that to your advantage.”

Astros Manager Dusty Baker played John, who started at age 46 and made 700 career starts, most of whom came after major elbow surgery in 1974. Baker played against other players who lasted into his mid-40s, such as Jim Kaat and Nolan Ryan. and that Verlander could definitely win 300.

“Yes, he can, as long as he can keep up his desire, because he has a new arm,” Baker said. “Get money from this – he likes to play. And when you get a new lever, it’s like buying a new engine for your car. Yes, your car is old, but your engine is young.”

During Verlander’s lifetime, three strong shooters have won 74 victories from the age of 39, just as Verlander must have done to reach 300: Ryan (83 wins), Johnson (79) and Roger Clemens (74). Even more encouraging for Verlander is his recent speech.

He had the lowest WHIP (walks plus strokes per stroke) of the majors in both 2018 and 2019, with 590 strokes and just 79 walks in those seasons. However, at her birth, she was slowly on her feet and had to have groin surgery in March 2020.

Verlander studied the mechanics during the Covid shutdown and decided that a lower release point would help with longevity. Maybe it caused elbow problems, Verlander said, but he had a purpose. It always does.

“I don’t regret some of the decisions I’ve made in 2020, because all the decisions I’ve made are to make me sustainably great and to be at the top of my game,” he said. “It would have been a very different story if I had messed around for a few seasons, my elbow wasn’t feeling good, my performance was down, my speed was going down, I was getting shot around, then suddenly you have Tommy. John is 39 or 40 years old.

“To come back after a few years he is, like, what are we doing here? Instead, ‘Let’s have surgery – and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be the pitcher I just was.’

During his recovery, Verlander not only worked on his elbow, but also on general mobility; she said she feels “amazing” now and has incorporated this training into her routine. He said he would spend a few hours on Saturday reviewing his two hits against the Cardinals – anything to keep improving and pushing.

Verlander has often said he wanted to turn 45, which would have given him seven more seasons, a reasonable time frame to collect those 74 victories. Don’t be surprised if he does.

“The carrot that I keep trying to do is to be great,” Verlander said. “And so I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”