Not only is Houston Astros star Justin Verlander the poster boy for pitching dominance: he is also known for his elite durability.
The guy threw his first pitch in MLB in 2005.
2005!
And he is not just active: he just won a Cy Young Award, his third, at 39 years old and after missing the whole 2021 campaign while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Pitchers aren’t like Verlander anymore, because Verlander is, or has been, the prototypical ace who took the ball for seven or eight innings and no matter what, gave his team a chance to win.
Nowadays, hurlers are taught to throw at max effort for less innings; with more strikeouts, sure, but without many chances of consistently completing five or six innings.
This is reflected on the win totals.
Wins are an obsolete stat, yet still carry value for some people, historians, analysts, and fans.
Speaking of wins and strikeouts, Verlander could have a chance to make some history.
“Justin Verlander has three Cys, an MVP, two WS titles in his career. Now on the radar before him: He could be the last pitcher ever to post 300 wins in his career, and to compile 4,000 strikeouts. He’d be the fifth pitcher ever to get to 4K (Ryan, Johnson, Clemens, Carlton),” MLB insider Buster Olney tweeted.
Justin Verlander has three Cys, an MVP, two WS titles in his career. Now on the radar before him: He could be the last pitcher ever to post 300 wins in his career, and to compile 4,000 strikeouts. He'd be the fifth pitcher ever to get to 4K (Ryan, Johnson, Clemens, Carlton).
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 17, 2022
Does He Have A Shot At 300 Wins And 4,000 Strikeouts?
Let’s examine the situation.
Verlander will turn 40 in a few months.
He has 244 wins and 3,198 strikeouts.
To have a realistic chance of getting to those milestones, he would need to pitch four or five additional seasons at a similar level to the one he showed in 2022.
While he has the desire to give it a go for several more years, it’s hard to see him staying this competitive for five additional seasons.
Two or three is a more likely number, and that won’t be enough to reach those numbers.
Still, 300 wins and 4,000 strikeouts or not, he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer immediately after he is eligible.
NEXT: Video Reminds Fans How Long Justin Verlander Has Dominated