The Astros reacquired Justin Verlander for the playoffs. But he's had to evolve in his age-40 season and is curious himself how he'll fare this October amid a 'tough year.'
The right-hander who has helped define this generation of pitchers and continues to defy his own age will take the mound at Minute Maid Park on Saturday for Game 1 of the ALDS . It will be Verlander's 35th career playoff start, tying him with Tom Glavine for the second-most all time behind only Andy Pettitte at 44. Verlander's opponent — the Twins — will be the 15th different team he's faced in the postseason.to start a playoff game since R.A. Dickey in 2015.
"It's just been a tough year for me," Verlander told FOX Sports."Last year seemed like one of those years where just kind of everything, you hit the ground running, everything goes well. You feel good from the beginning and don't have to tinker a lot. This year was quite the opposite. Obviously started the season injured, and it was really difficult to find my mechanics all season long.
This year, he's thrown just five 97-plus mph pitches, maxing out at 97.9 . Is that his new ceiling? Or is there another gear waiting to be unlocked on the postseason stage? Even with seemingly diminished stuff — by his own first-ballot Hall of Famer standards, anyway — Verlander has provided exactly the kind of stability the Astros were seeking when they reacquired him at the deadline. He'sin the two months since his return, which has proven especially crucial amid a tight division race and second-half regression from rookie hurlers
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