Background and career
Justin Brooks Verlander ( VUR-land-ər; born February 20, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants from 2005 to 2026. A three-time Cy Young Award winner, an American League Most Valuable Player Award recipient, and a two-time World Series champion, Verlander is considered one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Born in Manakin Sabot, Virginia, Verlander attended Old Dominion University (ODU) and played college baseball for the Monarchs. He broke the Monarchs' and Colonial Athletic Association's career records for strikeouts. At the 2003 Pan American Games, Verlander helped lead the United States national team to a silver medal. The Tigers selected Verlander with the second overall pick of the 2004 MLB draft, and he made his major league debut with the Tigers in 2005. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2006. In 2007, Verlander pitched the first no-hitter at Comerica Park. In 2009, he led the AL in wins and strikeouts, both for the first time. Verlander produced his most successful season in 2011, pitching his second career no-hitter and winning the Pitching Triple Crown, the AL Cy Young Award (unanimously), the AL MVP Award, and the Sporting News Player of the Year Award. Verlander played for Detroit for 12 years, becoming the ace in their starting rotation and a key figure in four consecutive AL Central division championships (2011–2014) and two AL pennants (in 2006 and 2012). The Tigers traded Verlander to the Astros before the 2017 trade deadline, and he went undefeated in his first five starts heading into the postseason. He was named AL Championship Series MVP and was co-winner of the Babe Ruth Award as the Astros won the 2017 World Series. In 2018, Verlander earned his 200th career win. In 2019, Verlander became the sixth pitcher in MLB history to throw three career no-hitters. He also had his first career 300-strikeout season and won his second Cy Young award while leading the Astros to their second pennant in three seasons. Verlander missed most of the 2020 season and all of the 2021 season due to injury. He returned in 2022 and proceeded to win 18 games with a sub-2.00 ERA on his way to leading the Astros to their second world championship. He received his third Cy Young Award that offseason, making him the first Astro to win multiple Cy Young Awards. Verlander signed with the Mets in December 2022, was traded back to the Astros in August 2023, and signed with the Giants in January 2025. Following one season in San Francisco, Verlander returned to the Tigers on a one-year contract in 2026; halfway through the season, he announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2026 season. Verlander was a ten-time MLB All-Star and led the AL in strikeouts five times, in earned run average twice, and in wins three times. He is one of eleven pitchers all-time to record 3,500 career strikeouts, and ranks eighth all-time as of his retirement with a total of 3,560.
Justin Brooks Verlander was born on February 20, 1983, in Manakin Sabot, Virginia. Verlander played Little League at Tuckahoe Little League in Richmond, Virginia. Verlander's father Richard sent him to The Richmond Baseball Academy when he was young. He was able to throw an 84 mph (135 km/h) fastball shortly after joining the academy. His velocity plateaued at 86 mph (138 km/h) during his senior year at Goochland High School, during which he was sidetracked by strep throat.
Verlander's velocity increased to 87 mph (140 km/h) during his first year with Old Dominion. Verlander, a 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), 200 lb (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 ODU, the CAA, and the Commonwealth of Virginia (Division I) history with 427 in 335+2⁄3 innings. During his three years, he averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings and his career collegiate earned run average (ERA) was 2.57. 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 (High-A) and the Erie SeaWolves (Double-A), 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.
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. 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's success continued in 2007, as he accumulated 18 wins and posted a 3.66 ERA with 183 strikeouts in 201+2⁄3 innings. On June 12, Verlander recorded a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out twelve 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.
