Last night, Justin Verlander gave the Houston Astros yet another dominant performance.
The Astros ace struck out 10 batters over five scoreless innings and did not allow a hit against the Philadelphia Phillies, making some history in the process.
This is the third time this season that Verlander has had an outing of at least five innings and finished without having allowed a hit.
Verlander is the only pitcher in the modern era to have accomplished such a feat.
The right-hander earned his 18th win of the season and lowered his ERA to 1.75 as the Astros won by a final of 10-0.
Justin Verlander of the @astros is the only MLB pitcher in the modern era to have 3 games in a season in which he pitched 5.0+ innings and finished with no hits allowed.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 5, 2022
JV’s Dominance
Verlander has found the fountain of youth again.
At 40 years of age and coming off of Tommy John surgery, Verlander has been every bit as good as advertised.
It does beg the question though, if he had not allowed a hit, why not let him go the distance?
Sure, the Astros have already clinched, but it would be fun to see some history.
Regardless, the season he’s put together has been amazing, especially when you consider that he’s had three no-hit outings, even if he didn’t go the distance and finish what he started.
Verlander is one of those pitchers who has always been able to adapt to changing times.
Even after Tommy John surgery, he returned to anchor the staff of the Astros and lead them to the best record in the American League.
He may be in the twilight of his career, but he’s still just as effective as ever and has put together a very strong case to win the American League Cy Young Award.
Now, the Astros will be able to rest him before the ALDS.
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