Major League Baseball’s 118th edition of the World Series is set between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies, with star talent filling the rosters of both sides.
One of these stars is Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander, who by the way, is a friggin’ beast!
Per MLB.com:
“This postseason velo from Verlander comes following a regular season in which he averaged 95 mph on the dot, even faster than he was throwing before the Tommy John surgery — Verlander’s four-seamer averaged 94.6 mph in his previous full season, 2019.”
Wait, what did we just read?
He’s pitching faster after Tommy John surgery?!
And he’s doing this at 39 bleeping years old!
Justin Verlander
101 mph vs. the Yankees in the 2006 postseason at age 23
98 mph vs. the Yankees in the 2022 postseason at age 39 pic.twitter.com/Nnuc12sSnn
— David Adler (@_dadler) October 20, 2022
As you see above from Major League Baseball, they created analysis on the velocity of Verlander, and since the league has been keeping up with this particular kind of data in their history, he’s doing something that, well, has never been done before.
In all age-based metrics that involve pitching velocity, Justin Verlander literally dominates them all. As baseball fans, we were already aware of how dominant Verlander is, but this… This is otherworldly. And you can’t help but to appreciate him even more. (RELATED: Former Teammate Calls MLB Legend A ‘Douchebag’)
With his kind of heat and elite numbers, you have to think that he’s on his way towards a Tom Brady streak where he doesn’t retire until he’s 57.
Hell, look at the season that he just had, per ESPN:
- W-L: 18-4
- ERA: 1.75
- K: 185
To put it into perspective, here are Hall of Famer and World Series champion Greg Maddux’s best season stats ever throughout his entire career, per Baseball-Reference.com:
- 1994 (Atlanta Braves): W-L: 16-6, ERA: 1.56, K: 156
- 1995 (Atlanta Braves): W-L: 19-2, ERA: 1.63, K: 181
Greg Maddux was 28 in 1994, and obviously 29 in ’95 (Maddux would also win the World Series that year with the Braves). Again, these were the best two seasons in Maddux’s whole career.
So, as you see, a 39-year-old Justin Verlander is literally pitching like Greg Maddux in his prime at 28 and 29, and this coming AFTER Tommy John surgery. It’s just absolutely incredible what we’re witnessing.
Don’t be surprised to see a second World Series ring on this man’s finger when the Fall Classic is all said and done.
Followed by a Hall of Fame plaque when he retires at 62.