41-year-old Justin Verlander announces future plans following Astros’ playoff elimination
As he was left off the team’s roster , starting pitcher Justin Verlander didn’t get a chance to contribute during the Houston Astros’ AL wild-card series against his former team, the Detroit Tigers.
Despite having home-field advantage, the Astros dropped both games at Minute Maid Park and were eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday. The defeat ended a streak of making it to at least the ALCS in seven straight years.
The 41-year-old Verlander spoke after Wednesday’s 5-2 loss and said he plans to continue his legendary career on the mound in 2025.
The three-time AL Cy Young Award winner had an uneven 2024 season that saw him finish 5-6 with a career-worst 5.48 ERA across 90 1/3 innings covering 17 starts. Verlander battled multiple shoulder issues throughout the year to pitch the fewest innings of his career outside of his two-start MLB debut in 2005 and the 2020 and 2021 campaigns after he underwent Tommy John surgery following one outing in the pandemic-altered season.
As The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans explained, Verlander’s innings total is key to his situation in 2025. Rosecrans noted that because his 90 1/3 innings were short of the 140 frames he needed for a vesting $35-million option for next season, Verlander will enter free agency.
No matter how long the 2011 AL MVP’s career on the diamond lasts, Verlander has locked up his spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
The righty is considered one of the best starting pitchers of the 21st century. While this year was a rare struggle, he was strong last season with a 13-8 record, 3.22 ERA, and 1.13 WHIP, and he won his most recent AL Cy Young Award in 2022 at 39 years old.
If it’s up to him, MLB hasn’t seen the last of Justin Verlander
A future Hall of Fame pitcher is not ready to walk away from the game. Justin Verlander, who will turn 42 next February, plans on pitching in 2025.
“I think I do feel like I have a lot more to give pitching-wise,” Verlander said, via the Houston Chronicle. “This year was a tough year. Learned a lot from it.”
