Houston Astros (2017–2022)
Seconds before the waiver trade deadline on August 31, the Tigers sent Verlander to the Houston Astros for prospects Franklin Pérez, Jake Rogers, and Daz Cameron. Verlander won his Astros debut on September 5 against the Seattle Mariners, giving up one run and striking out seven over six innings. He started and won the AL West division-clinching game for the Astros on September 17, allowing one run and striking out ten Mariners batters over seven innings. He won all five of his regular season starts with Houston, posting a 1.06 ERA and 0.65 WHIP in those games. The Astros chose to skip Verlander's final scheduled start on Sunday, October 1 and have him start the first game of the ALDS. As a result, Verlander finished the 2017 regular season with a 15–8 record, 3.36 ERA, 1.175 WHIP, and 219 strikeouts in 206 innings. He threw 3,531 pitches, more than any other major league pitcher for the second consecutive year.
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 miles per hour 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.
Verlander won two games in the Astros' 3-games-to-1 ALDS triumph over the Boston Red Sox. He started and won Game 1, and picked up the second win with 2+2⁄3 innings of relief in the clinching Game 4. On October 14, he started Game 2 of the ALCS versus the Yankees, throwing a 13-strikeout, 2–1 complete game victory. The Astros won the game on a ninth-inning walk-off double by shortstop Carlos Correa that drove home second baseman Jose Altuve. With the Astros facing elimination in Game 6 of the ALCS, Verlander pitched seven shutout innings in a 7–1 victory over the Yankees. The Astros went on to defeat the Yankees in Game 7, allowing them to advance to the World Series for the second time in franchise history. During the ALCS, Verlander went 2–0, with a 0.56 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. Following his outstanding performance, he was named the ALCS MVP.
Verlander received a no-decision in Game 2 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the third time he participated in a World Series. He allowed only two hits in six innings, but both hits were home runs and he left the game with the Astros trailing 3–1. The Astros eventually won the game 7–6 in 11 innings. With a chance to clinch the series in Game 6, Verlander gave up three hits and two runs while striking out nine batters in six innings, but was tagged with the loss in a 3–1 final. It was the first time in his career that Verlander failed to win a series-clinching game in the postseason, having gone 3–0 in his three previous chances. It was also his first loss as a member of the Astros. The Astros defeated the Dodgers the next night in Game 7, giving Verlander his first World Series championship.
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+2⁄3 innings. Along with Jose Altuve, Verlander was also named winner of the Babe Ruth Award as co-MVPs of the 2017 postseason.
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.
On May 1, Verlander struck out 14 Yankees, tying his career high, over eight shutout innings in Houston. On May 16, Verlander threw a complete-game shutout against the Los Angeles Angels for his eighth career shutout and 24th complete game. He struck out Shohei Ohtani in the top of the ninth inning for his 2,500th career strikeout, becoming the 33rd pitcher in Major League history to reach the milestone. He was second among active leaders in strikeouts behind CC Sabathia.
12 games into the 2018 season, Verlander led the AL in 17 different categories, most notably: ERA (1.11), Wins (7), Innings Pitched (81.1), WAR for pitchers (3.3), WHIP (0.713), H/9 Innings (4.8) and BAA (.153). Verlander was named AL Pitcher of the Month for May, his fifth such award. In six starts, he produced a 0.86 ERA and .437 OPS against, allowed nine extra-base hits, while striking out 50 over 41+2⁄3 innings. He started and ended the month by dominating the Yankees—the only lineup in baseball with an OPS over .800—with 20 strikeouts and only one run allowed in 14+2⁄3 innings.
On July 8, Verlander was named to his seventh All-Star Game, and his first with the Astros. However, Verlander made his scheduled start on the Sunday before the All-Star Game and did not pitch in the game.
On August 19, Verlander went 5+1⁄3 innings striking out six and giving up four earned runs in a crucial 9–4 victory over the Oakland Athletics. The win was Verlander's 200th career win, becoming the 114th pitcher (and third active pitcher) to reach the milestone, and only the 20th pitcher in Major League history to do so in 412 starts or fewer.
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.
Verlander finished the 2018 season with a 16–9 record in 214 innings pitched and posted a 2.52 ERA with a career-high 290 strikeouts. He posted his lowest ERA since his American League MVP and Cy Young Award-winning 2011 season and led the AL in strikeouts for the fifth time in his career. Verlander also led the major leagues with a 0.902 WHIP and a 7.84 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. His 1.6-per-9 IP walk rate was the lowest of his career. He had the highest fly ball percentage among major league pitchers (51.4%). He finished the season with four straight games in which he struck out 10+ batters, giving him a career-best 13 games this season with double-digit strikeouts.
In Game 1 of the ALDS, Verlander earned the win, allowing two runs in 5+1⁄3 innings and striking out seven against the Cleveland Indians. The Astros earned a three-game sweep over the Indians and moved on to face the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. Verlander started and won Game 1 of the ALCS in Fenway Park, allowing two runs and two hits in six innings pitched. Verlander lost Game 5 of the ALCS with his team down three games to one, surrendering four runs in six innings. It marked the first time in his career that he lost a postseason elimination game.
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.
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 versus reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays.
On June 1, Verlander threw eight innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts, passing Cy Young on the all-time MLB strikeouts list, and finished the night with 2,809 career strikeouts. He struck out seven in his next outing against the Seattle Mariners on June 6 to move into the top 20 on the all-time strikeouts list, surpassing Mike Mussina's total of 2,813. In the June 12 contest versus the Milwaukee Brewers Verlander struck out a career-high fifteen batters, fourteen of them swinging, over seven innings. On June 18, Verlander struck out eight Cincinnati Reds batters to move past Mickey Lolich for 19th place on the all-time strikeouts list.
Verlander was named to the American League All-Star team for the eighth time in his career. At the time of the selection, Verlander had a 10–3 record, 2.86 ERA, 147 strikeouts, and an MLB-leading 0.794 WHIP. Verlander was selected as the starting pitcher for the All-Star game for the second time in his career on July 9. He pitched one inning and retired all three batters he faced, two on strikeouts.
Verlander surpassed 200 strikeouts for the season on August 4, for the ninth time in his career. He joined Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Tom Seaver, Pedro Martinez, and Bob Gibson as the only pitchers with nine or more seasons of 200+ strikeouts.
On August 21, Verlander lost to the Detroit Tigers, 2–1, despite allowing no walks and only two hits, both of them solo home runs, over nine innings. He is the only pitcher other than Mike Mussina in 1998 known to have pitched a complete game loss without ever throwing a pitch with a runner on base. Verlander also had 11 strikeouts in the game, the seventh straight game in which he recorded double-digit strikeouts.
On September 1, in a road game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Verlander threw his third career no-hitter. He allowed one base-runner, a walk to Cavan Biggio in the first inning, and struck out 14 batters in the 2–0 victory. The Astros' only runs came on a two-run home run by Abraham Toro in the top of the ninth inning. This was Verlander's second career no-hitter against the Blue Jays making him just the third pitcher of the modern era to no-hit the same team twice, and the first to pitch both no-hitters against the same team on the road. He is the sixth pitcher ever to throw three or more no-hitters in their career. He continued his dominance into his next start, setting an Astros franchise record on September 7 for consecutive batters retired in a row, at 32. Teammate Ryan Pressly tied this record in 2022.
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, becoming the second player in Major League history after Randy Johnson to achieve his first 300 strikeout season in the same game as recording a 3,000th career strikeout. 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 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 average in the major leagues, and his left on-base percentage of 88.4% was also 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.
During the top of the second inning of game 2 of the 2019 World Series, Verlander recorded the 200th postseason strikeout of his career setting a new major league record and surpassing the previous record of 199 set by John Smoltz. He finished the game with six strikeouts, seven hits and four earned runs in six innings in a 12–3 loss to the Washington Nationals. With the loss, he became the first pitcher in major league history to lose his first five World Series decisions.
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.
Verlander made his 12th career opening day start on July 24, 2020, earning the win after striking out seven and giving up two runs through six innings. This was the Astros' eighth straight win on Opening Day, having won every Opening Day game since their move to the AL West in 2013. 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, which kept him sidelined through the end of his contract extension with the Astros. Verlander underwent the procedure on September 30, 2020.
On February 27, 2021, the Astros placed Verlander on the 60-day injured list as he continued to recover from Tommy John surgery. He missed the entire 2021 season.
On December 13, 2021, Verlander signed a one-year contract with the Astros, containing an option for a second season.
Having not recorded a statistic in 2021, Verlander made his way back on April 9, 2022, against the Los Angeles Angels, for the first time since Opening Day 2020. Verlander struck out seven and allowed one run over five innings in a 2–0 loss. On April 16, Verlander threw eight scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners in a 4–0 victory, striking out eight batters. He pitched his 3,000th career inning in the seventh, becoming the 138th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to do so (only he and Zack Greinke had pitched 3,000 innings among then-active players). On May 10 against the Minnesota Twins, Verlander took a no-hitter through seven innings until Gio Urshela ended the chance in the eighth inning. Verlander finished the game with eight innings pitched and five strikeouts, allowing the one hit for a game score of 83 and lowering his ERA to 1.55 on the season.
On June 1, Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning versus the Oakland Athletics until Elvis Andrus hit an RBI double. On June 7, Verlander became the career active strikeout leader, passing Max Scherzer, after striking out twelve hitters over seven innings pitched in a 4–1 victory over the Mariners. Verlander also passed John Smoltz on the all-time strikeout list to move up to 17th all-time with his 3,085th strikeout.
Verlander earned his ninth career selection to the All-Star Game. He struck out ten over six innings in a 5–0 win over the A's on July 16, amounting to 3,121 career strikeouts, and moving him past Curt Schilling (3,116) and Bob Gibson (3,117) for 14th place all time. As of the All-Star break, Verlander was 12–3, with a 1.89 ERA, a 0.878 WHIP and 108 strikeouts. Per STATS, LLC, he became the first pitcher in history to have reached or exceeded each of the following as of an All-Star break: 2.00 ERA, 12 wins, .800 winning percentage, .200 batting average against, 0.900 WHIP, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.00. On July 29, he allowed one run in 7+2⁄3 innings in an 11–1 defeat of the Mariners. The 240th win of Verlander's career, it moved him into a tie with Frank Tanana for 56th all-time. On August 4, Verlander reached 130 innings to actuate the player option for the 2023 season.
On August 23, 2022, Verlander threw six hitless innings and struck out ten batters in a 4–2 win against the Minnesota Twins. In doing so, Verlander passed Pedro Martínez on the all-time strikeout list and overtook Scherzer again as the active career leader in strikeouts. Verlander left a start versus Baltimore after three innings on August 28 due to sudden right calf discomfort and was placed on the 15-day IL for what an MRI revealed to be a mild rupture of the muscle fascia. In his return to the mound on September 16, Verlander hurled five hitless innings against the Athletics to lead the Astros to a 5–0 victory and secure a sixth consecutive postseason berth. He walked one and struck out nine to extend their winning streak to six games.
In his final start of the regular season on October 4, Verlander authored a 10-strikeout, no-hit performance over five innings as Houston cruised to a 10–0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He passed Ferguson Jenkins and Scherzer again for 12th place on the all-time strikeout list and tied Jim Deshaies (1986) for an Astros franchise record of eight consecutive strikeouts in the game.
Verlander concluded his 2022 campaign with an 18–4 record, 1.75 ERA, and 185 strikeouts in 175 innings pitched. In twelve starts that followed an Astro loss, Verlander went 9–0 with a 1.11 ERA. He led all the Major Leagues in ERA, WHIP (0.829), and BAA (.186) while leading the American League in wins. He won his first ERA title since his 2011 MVP campaign while setting a career-best, and posted the lowest qualifying ERA over a non-shortened season in the AL (excluding 2020) since Pedro Martinez's 1.74 mark in 2000. His ERA was also the lowest achieved in history for a pitcher over the age of 39 making at least 25 starts.
Following the regular season, the Houston chapter of the BBWAA recognized Verlander as the Houston Astros' Pitcher of the Year, the third time he had won the award, and third in three full seasons with the club. He was selected for a third Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Pitcher, and first for AL Comeback Player.
In Game 1 of the 2022 ALCS, Verlander struck out eleven over six innings in a 4–2 win versus the New York Yankees. His eighth double-digit strikeout effort in the postseason, it set a major league record. Starting in the third inning, he struck out a postseason record-tying six consecutive hitters, repeating an achievement of his in Game 3 of the 2013 ALCS. Verlander allowed five earned runs in Game 1 of the 2022 World Series, giving him a career 6.07 ERA in World Series games, the highest among pitchers with a minimum of 30 innings pitched in the World Series. Later in Game 5 of the series, Verlander allowed one earned run over five innings pitched and also striking out six. The Astros would end up winning 3–2, giving Verlander his first career World Series win and 16th postseason win (2nd most in MLB history after passing John Smoltz); he had eight previous World Series starts without winning, posting an 0–6 record before that night, the worst record for any pitcher before winning his first World Series game. The Astros would go on to defeat the Phillies in six games, giving Verlander his second World Series ring.
On November 10, Verlander opted out of his player option with the Astros and became a free agent. He was awarded the Cy Young by unanimous vote on November 16, becoming the 11th pitcher in MLB history to win three Cy Young Awards. It was the second time Verlander was a unanimous choice for the award (receiving every possible first-place vote).
