After a somewhat rocky start with a home run allowed to Harrison Bader and a high pitch count, Houston Astros star pitcher Justin Verlander was able to complete a very solid start on Wednesday against the New York Yankees.
It was Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, so the Astros needed that kind of performance from Verlander after his rocky start against the Seattle Mariners last week.
Last night, Verlander completed six innings, allowing just three hits and a single run.
He walked one and struck out 11 hitters, a sensational tally considering he had thrown a lot of pitches in the first two innings.
Verlander is the owner of a cool postseason record, and the best thing of all is that he has the potential to keep adding to it.
“Most postseason Ks in MLB history: Justin Verlander, 219; Clayton Kershaw, 213; John Smoltz, 199; Andy Pettitte, 183; Roger Clemens, 173; Max Scherzer, 164,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
Most postseason Ks in MLB history:
Justin Verlander, 219 🔥⛽️🔥
Clayton Kershaw, 213
John Smoltz, 199
Andy Pettitte, 183
Roger Clemens, 173
Max Scherzer, 164 https://t.co/wpcpR1bvE8— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) October 20, 2022
Verlander Is The Leader Of An Impressive Postseason Stat
Look at all the names on that list: Hall of Famers, future Hall of Famers, and near-misses.
And Verlander tops them all.
He has been around since 2006 and has pitched on some strong teams so it isn’t surprising to see him at the top of the list.
Verlander has pitched the equivalent of a full regular season in the playoffs.
In 197.2 innings, he has a solid 3.55 ERA and 219 strikeouts, with a 15-11 record.
His WHIP is a solid 1.088.
Verlander will have, at the very least, one additional start during the 2022 postseason to keep adding to his total and making the gap with Kershaw even larger.
Depending on the results of his Astros, he could have two or three more.
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