Justin Verlander

On July 31, Verlander took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels before surrendering a single to Maicer Izturis. He walked two and struck out nine. On August 11, Verlander won his 100th major league game against the Cleveland Indians. A victory on August 27 made Verlander the first Tiger since Bill Gullickson in 1991 to win 20 games, and the first Major League pitcher since Curt Schilling in 2002 to reach 20 wins before the end of August.

Verlander won both the 2011 AL Cy Young Award and the AL MVP Award. He was the first pitcher to claim an AL MVP Award since Dennis Eckersley in 1992, the first starting pitcher to do so since Roger Clemens in 1986, and the fourth Tigers starter to do so in franchise history, joining Denny McLain (1968), Hal Newhouser (1944, 1945), and Willie Hernández (1984). Verlander unanimously won the 2011 AL Cy Young Award and also won the AL MVP in a much closer vote. Verlander edged out Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury, 280 points to 242 points while collecting 13 of 28 first-place votes. He became the second pitcher in baseball history after Don Newcombe to win the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, and MVP awards in his career.

Verlander finished the 2019 season 21–6 with 300 strikeouts and a 2.58 ERA in 223 innings pitched. He finished first in MLB in innings pitched and games started for the fourth time in his career, first in wins for the third time in his career, and first in WHIP for the third time in his career. His 0.803 WHIP was the lowest in a major league season since Pedro Martínez posted a 0.737 WHIP in 2000. Verlander also led the American League with a 7.14 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. He was also first in MLB in WAR for pitchers (7.8) and lowest hits per nine innings (5.529). Batters hit .171 against him, the lowest batting average in the major leagues, and his left on base percentage of 88.4% was the best in the majors. He allowed the highest fly ball percentage of all major league pitchers (45.2%), which contributed to a career-high 36 home runs allowed.

Verlander, a 6′ 5", 200 pound (1.96 m, 91 kg) right-handed pitcher played for the Old Dominion University baseball team for three years. On May 17, 2002, he struck out a then-school record 17 batters against James Madison. In 2003, he set a school single-season record by recording 139 strikeouts. In 2004, he broke his own record establishing a new Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) record with 151 strikeouts. Verlander completed his career as the all-time strikeout leader at Old Dominion University, the CAA, and the Commonwealth of Virginia (Division I) history with 427 in 335⅔ innings. During his three years, he averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings and his career collegiate earned run average (ERA) was 2.57.

On September 10, in his first start in Detroit since being traded, Verlander got the win while allowing two runs on six hits in seven innings pitched. He struck out 10 Tigers batters, giving him 258 strikeouts this season. Verlander and Gerrit Cole became the first teammates to strike out at least 250 batters in the same season since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002. Verlander was given many standing ovations during his outing, and Comerica Park played a tribute video showing highlights of his 13 seasons as a Tiger. Verlander tied his career high of 269 strikeouts in a season with an 11-strikeout performance in a 5–4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 16. Verlander subsequently set a new career high the next game in a 10–5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on September 22. Verlander struck out 11 in six innings while only giving up one hit, stretching his career high to 280 strikeouts. Verlander also helped set a new Major League record for the Astros with their 1,069th strikeout by their starters in a season, breaking the mark set by the Cleveland Indians in 2017.

On September 28, in his final start of the 2019 regular season, Verlander struck out Kole Calhoun in the bottom of the 4th inning against the Los Angeles Angels for his 3,000th career strikeout becoming the 18th pitcher in history to strike out 3,000 hitters. Verlander struck Calhoun out again in the bottom of the 6th for his 300th strikeout of the season, a new career high. Verlander and teammate Gerrit Cole became the first pair of starting pitchers to strike out 300+ hitters in the same season since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling achieved the feat in 2002 for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Verlander pitched for the USA national baseball team in 2003 and helped the US win a silver medal in the Pan American Games. He was named CAA Rookie of the Year in 2002, and earned All-CAA honors in 2003 and 2004. Verlander was named the ODU Alumni Association's Male Athlete of the Year in 2004, and was the second overall pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft by the Detroit Tigers.

Verlander's professional baseball career began when he was selected by the Detroit Tigers with the second overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft. He signed a contract on October 25, 2004. Verlander made his professional debut in 2005. He played for two of Detroit's minor league affiliates: the Lakeland Flying Tigers (A+) and the Erie SeaWolves (AA), and also started two games for the Tigers in July. After posting a 9–2 record and a 1.67 ERA in 13 starts for Lakeland, Verlander joined the SeaWolves on June 20.

On July 4, 2005, Verlander started against the Cleveland Indians and pitched 5⅓ innings giving up four runs and was charged with a loss. He also made a start against the Minnesota Twins 19 days later. Verlander lost both of his major league starts in 2005, however in seven starts with Erie, he was 2–0 and his ERA was 0.28. Tightness in his right shoulder caused Verlander's season to end in early August when he was placed on the disabled list. Verlander was recognized as a Florida State League all–star, was a starting pitcher in the Futures Game and, according to Baseball America, was Detroit's highest rated prospect.

Verlander made his MLB debut on July 4, 2005. He went 0–2 with a 7.15 ERA in his only two starts of the season.

On May 31, Verlander was sent to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens for a rehab assignment. It was his first time ever pitching for the Mud Hens having gone straight from Double-A to the major leagues in 2005. He threw 79 pitches, 50 for strikes, allowing six hits and two walks in 2 ⁄3 innings. He fared better in his second rehab start on June 6, lasting 5 ⁄3 innings and throwing 93 pitches (69 for strikes). He gave up just one unearned run on four hits and no walks while striking out nine batters. Verlander made his season debut with the Tigers on June 13 against the Cleveland Indians. He pitched five innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two. He left the game with a 3–2 lead, but got a no-decision as the Indians came back against the Tiger bullpen to win the game. In his next start on June 19, Verlander gave up Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th career hit, a home run.

He made the 2006 Tigers roster out of spring training. In his first full Major League season, Verlander went 17–9 with a 3.63 ERA, striking out 124 batters in 186 innings. On July 4, 2006, at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California, Verlander, Joel Zumaya, and Fernando Rodney each threw multiple fastballs over 100 mph (160 km/h). It was the first time in MLB history that three pitchers on the same team, had done so during a game. He allowed one stolen base in 2006 and picked off seven baserunners. In 2006, he became the first rookie pitcher in the history of the game to win 10 games before the end of June and was named AL Rookie of the Year at the end of the season. During Game 1 of the 2006 World Series, Verlander was the Tigers starting pitcher against Anthony Reyes of the St. Louis Cardinals; it was the first instance in which two rookies faced off to start a World Series. The Tigers went on to lose the series to the Cardinals in five games.

Verlander started the 2015 season on the disabled list due to a right triceps strain, ending his streak of seven consecutive Opening Day starts for the Tigers. This marked the first time Verlander had been placed on the DL in his major league career, following 298 career starts and 1,978 innings pitched. Verlander has thrown more pitches than any other pitcher since his rookie season in 2006, with 32,535 pitches in the regular season, and 1,688 pitches in the postseason.

Verlander's success continued in 2007, as he accumulated 18 wins and posted a 3.66 ERA with 183 strikeouts in 201⅔ innings. On June 12, Verlander recorded a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out 12 and walking four while throwing a fastball 102 mph (164 km/h).

In 2008, Verlander lost four consecutive games before winning his first one. He led MLB in losses with 17. Overall, he finished the 2008 season with an 11–17 win–loss record and a 4.84 ERA.

On August 11, in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Verlander allowed five runs, four earned, on four hits in only one inning. Verlander left the game with right shoulder soreness in the shortest outing of his career. His previous shortest outing was 1 ⁄3 innings in 2008. Verlander would miss his next start, the first time that had occurred in his career.

Verlander became the first Major League starter in 24 years to load the bases with nobody out in the ninth inning or later and get out of it without allowing a run when he pulled off the feat on July 24, 2009. Then-Mariners hurler Mike Moore was the last to do it, on September 16, 1985.

Verlander finished the 2016 season with a 16–9 record, while recording 254 strikeouts to lead the American League for the fourth time in his career. He also finished first in the AL with a 1.00 WHIP, and his 3.04 ERA ranked second. His strikeout rate of 10.0 per 9 IP was the second-best of his career, trailing only the 10.1/9 rate posted in 2009. His 4.46 strikeout-to-walk ratio was a career best and a Tiger record for a season, eclipsing the 4.44 mark set by Denny McLain in the 1968 Detroit Tigers season. Verlander joined Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens as the only three American League pitchers in history to strike out 250 or more batters in a season after turning 33 years old. Verlander's 26 quality starts were tied for the AL lead (with former Tiger Rick Porcello). He threw 3,668 pitches, more than any other major league pitcher.

Due to the changing nature of how pitchers are used in baseball, Verlander is considered by many to be the last of the old school power pitchers. He is also considered to be a higher-than average fly ball pitcher. Throughout his career, Verlander has consistently been near or at the top of the league in innings pitched, leading the league in 2009, 2011,2012, and 2019. He has finished in the Top 10 in innings pitched 9 times (2009–13, 2016–19) and has the most 200+ innings pitched seasons of any current player with 11. His power pitching frequently leads to high strikeout totals. He is a five-time American League strikeout champion (2009, 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2018), and led all of major league baseball in three of those five seasons (2009, 2011 and 2012). He has fanned over 3,000 batters in his career, one of only 18 pitchers in history to reach that total. Following the 2019 retirement of CC Sabathia, Verlander is now the only active pitcher with at least 3,000 career strikeouts.

On April 22, 2011, Verlander recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in a 9–3 win over the White Sox, becoming the 15th Tiger to do so. On May 7, he recorded his second career no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays, throwing four strikeouts, walking one batter, and throwing at a maximum speed of 101 mph (163 km/h) on the radar gun. He carried a perfect game into the eighth inning before allowing a walk to J. P. Arencibia, who was the only Blue Jays batter to reach base in the game. Arencibia was erased on a double play, so Verlander faced the minimum 27 batters for the game. He became the second Tigers pitcher since Virgil Trucks, and the 30th pitcher in the history of baseball, to throw multiple no-hitters. On his next start, against the Kansas City Royals on May 13 Verlander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before surrendering a triple. Altogether, he pitched 15 ⁄3 consecutive no-hit innings which were spread over three starts.

In 2011, Verlander received the AL Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award, Sporting News Player of the Year Award, a Players Choice Award for Player the Year and Most Outstanding American League pitcher, and a USA Today American League Cy Young. Verlander was named the cover athlete of Major League Baseball 2K12.

On May 18, 2012, Verlander took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates before giving up a one-out single in a 6–0 victory. It was his first career complete game one-hitter, his 16th complete game overall, and sixth career shutout. Verlander, who struck out 12 in the game was hitting the upper-90s and 100 mph (160 km/h) into the eighth inning.

In the 2012 ALDS against the Oakland Athletics, Verlander started Game 1 and won a 3–1 decision. In the deciding fifth game of the series, he pitched a complete-game shutout allowing four hits as the Tigers won 6–0 and advanced to the 2012 ALCS. Verlander, who struck out 11 in each of his ALDS starts became the first pitcher in MLB history to record more than 10 strikeouts in a winner-take-all postseason shutout. Verlander's 22 strikeouts in the series set a record for an ALDS.

Verlander made his only appearance in the 2012 ALCS in Game 3 against the New York Yankees. He earned a 2–1 win, blanking the Yankees hitters on two hits through eight innings before surrendering a leadoff home run in the ninth inning to Eduardo Núñez. Having given up one run in the first inning of Game 1 in the ALDS, and one run in the ninth inning of Game 3 in the ALCS, Verlander recorded 24 consecutive scoreless postseason innings in between.

The eventual World Series champ Red Sox eliminated the Tigers in six ALCS games. In the 2013 postseason, Verlander was 1–1 with a 0.39 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 23 postseason innings. The Tiger offense was shut out in two of his three starts.

On January 9, 2014, Verlander underwent core muscle surgery. The Tigers projected that Verlander might miss Opening Day in the aftermath of his surgery but he eventually recovered just in time for when pitchers and catchers reported to training camp in February of 2014. On March 16, Tiger manager Brad Ausmus announced that Verlander would make his seventh consecutive opening-day start on March 31. On April 12, Verlander got the first two hits of his major league career during a 6–2 road win over the San Diego Padres. This snapped a career 0-for-26 string.

Verlander started dating model-actress Kate Upton in early 2014, and in 2016 the couple got engaged. In the 2014 iCloud leaks of celebrity photos, many of Verlander's personal pictures including nude pictures of both himself and Upton, as well as other women, were leaked online. On November 4, 2017, two days after he won the World Series with the Astros, the two married in a medieval church in Tuscany, Italy overlooking the Montalcino valley. On July 14, 2018, they announced that Kate was pregnant with their first child. The couple had a daughter, Genevieve later that year.

In 2016, Verlander started the "Wins For Warriors Foundation" for veterans of the United States military. The "Wins For Warriors Foundation" campaign raised $246,311 to help Houston recover from Hurricane Harvey in 2017. To date, Verlander has donated over 1 million dollars to this cause. Verlander has also supported various local Detroit charities for the impoverished as well as helping out with national efforts such as the Red Cross.

In a win over the Chicago White Sox on April 4, 2017, Verlander tied a franchise record for the most strikeouts on Opening Day with ten, becoming the first Tigers player to do so since Mickey Lolich in 1970. In his 51st plate appearance in interleague play, Verlander recorded his first career RBI in an August 30 game against the Colorado Rockies which was also his last game as a Tiger.

After a couple of injury-riddled seasons, many believed Verlander had lost the fastball velocity to which most fans had grown accustomed. However, his velocity soared back up to an average of 95.3 in his 2017 campaign, four miles per hour faster than his average in 2014 (91.2), and three MPH faster than his average in 2015 (92.3). He also hit triple digits on the radar gun in 2017 for the first time since his 2013 season.

For the 2017 postseason, Verlander made six appearances and five starts, being credited with a 4–1 record, and gaining a 2.21 ERA, .177 batting average against, eight walks, and 38 strikeouts in 36 ⁄3 innings. Along with Jose Altuve, Verlander was also named winner of the Babe Ruth Award as co-MVPs of the 2017 postseason.

On August 16, Verlander struck out 11 batters over 7 innings against the Oakland A's. It was his sixth consecutive start with 10+ strikeouts, setting an Astros franchise record and becoming the first pitcher to achieve this since Max Scherzer and Chris Sale in 2017. In combination with his prior start against the Baltimore Orioles on August 11, Verlander now has more strikeouts than innings pitched in his career.

Verlander throws four pitches: a hard four-seam fastball averaging 94–95 mph (topping out at 102), a slider in the mid-to-high 80s, a 12–6 curveball around 80, and a changeup at 85–88 mph. His four-seam fastball has an "elite" spin rate of over 2500 rpm according to Statcast, giving it a late "tailing" action that cuts inside to righties and away from lefties. He often uses his four-seam fastball up in the zone to hitters. This has allowed him to strike out more batters with that pitch than any others. His slider has evolved throughout his career. In his early years, his slider was in the mid-80s with a larger break. However, in recent years, Verlander has added velocity to his slider. This change has caused a later, sharper break that has led many to believe it is actually a cutter, although Verlander has denied this on various occasions. In 2017, Verlander began to incorporate both sliders. He usually throws the slower, longer slider under the hands of lefties, and the sharper, faster slider down and away to righties. His 12–6 curveball has always been a dominant pitch that buckles hitters' knees at any point in the count. He also intentionally uses this pitch up in the zone at times to freeze hitters or throw off their timing. Since the 2016 season, Verlander has essentially become a three-pitch pitcher (fastball, slider, curveball). His changeup has been used almost exclusively against left-handed batters in recent years, and its usage has dropped considerably. The changeup accounted for 8.5 percent of his pitches in 2016, only 4 percent of his pitches in 2017, and less than 2 percent of his pitches in 2018.

Verlander is known for his unusual ability to "add" and "subtract" from his fastball velocity at any point in the game, giving him the ability to throw it in the upper 90s even in the late innings of games. Since 2008, Verlander has thrown pitches of over 100+ mph in the 8th inning or later 44 times, 39 more times than James Paxton who is second on the list. This is despite the fact that he has thrown the most pitches in the major leagues since the beginning of the 2008 season. After a couple of injury prone seasons, many believed Verlander had lost the velocity most fans had grown accustomed to. However, Verlander's velocity soared back up to an average of 95.3 in his 2017 campaign, 4 miles per hour faster than his average in 2014 (91.2), and 3 MPH faster than his average in 2015 (92.3). Verlander's average fastball velocity with no strikes is 94.7 mph, while with two strikes it is 97.0 mph.

Verlander grew up in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia with his parents, Theodore and Kathy Verlander and a younger brother, Ben Verlander. His life experiences and the story of his development are outlined in his parents' 2012 book, Rocks Across the Pond: Lessons Learned, Stories Told. His younger brother, Ben played for the Tigers organization as an outfielder. Ben was released on June 23, 2017.

Justin fared somewhat better in the second half of 2014. His season ERA and WHIP dropped to 4.54 and 1.398, respectively. He won his final three decisions to finish with a 15–12 record, and the Tigers won the game in 6 of his last 8 starts. His strikeout rate remained low, however finishing with 159 strikeouts and a 6.9 K/9 IP rate, both the lowest since his 2006 rookie season. He mentioned in 2018 that he had not fully recovered from the core surgery during the 2014 season, contributing to production inferior to his career norms.

On March 5, 2018, Verlander was named the opening day starter for the Astros. This was his 10th career opening day start and first with Houston. He started and won on March 29 versus Cole Hamels of the Texas Rangers, pitching six shutout innings and striking out five.

Unlike in previous seasons, Verlander started masterfully in 2018, leading an Astros rotation that began the season as the most dominant in the major leagues. In April, Verlander went 4–0 with a 1.36 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 40 innings. He was named the AL Player of the Week on April 17; in 15 innings over two starts that week, he struck out 20 and allowed a .100 opponents' batting average.

In the 2018 AL Cy Young Award voting announced on November 14, Verlander finished second to Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays by 15 points (169–154). Verlander received 13 first-place votes to Snell's 17. This was Verlander's third Cy Young runner-up finish, and sixth time finishing in the top five.

Prior to the 2013 season, Verlander and the Tigers reached an agreement on a seven-year, $180 million contract, with a $22 million vesting option for 2020 if he finishes in the top five in Cy Young Award voting in 2019. This contract made him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history.

On March 24, 2019, Verlander and the Astros agreed on a two-year, $66 million contract extension to keep Verlander with Houston through the 2021 season. Verlander made his 11th career opening day start on March 28, earning a 5–1 victory against reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays.

On November 12, 2019, Verlander won his second Cy Young Award receiving 171 points and 17 of 30 first place votes to top teammate Gerrit Cole (159 points, 13 first place votes). It was also the first time he received the award while playing for the Houston Astros.

On March 17, 2020, Verlander underwent surgery on his right groin that required six weeks to recover. At around the same time, the season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On July 26, 2020, it was reported that Verlander would be shut down with a forearm strain. On September 19, Verlander confirmed via his Instagram account that he would undergo Tommy John surgery and would miss the remainder of the 2020 season plus all of the 2021 season as well. The operation has him sidelined until the end of his current Astros contract.Verlander underwent the procedure on September 30, 2020.