Justin Verlander
Verlander warming up before a game.
Detroit Tigers – No. 35
Starting pitcher
Born: (1983-02-20) February 20, 1983 (age 29) Manakin-Sabot, Virginia
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 4, 2005 for the Detroit Tigers
Career statistics (through May 29, 2012)
Win–Loss record	112–60
Earned run average	3.48
Strikeouts	1,297
Teams
Detroit Tigers (2005–present)
Career highlights and awards
4× MLB All-Star (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011) AL Rookie of the Year (2006) AL MVP (2011) AL Cy Young Award (2011) Pitched a no-hitter on June 12, 2007 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Pitched a second no-hitter on May 7, 2011 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Led AL in strikeouts (269), innings pitched (240), and tied in wins (19) in 2009. AL pitching Triple Crown (2011) AL TSN Pitcher of the Year (2011) Sporting News Player of the Year (2011) Led AL in strikeouts (250), wins (24), ERA (2.40) and WHIP (0.92) in 2011.

Medal record
Baseball
Competitor for  United States
Pan American Games
Silver	Santo Domingo 2003	Baseball at the 2003 Pan American Games

Justin Brooks Verlander (born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.

In 2006, he was named the American League Rookie of the Year. On June 12, 2007, he pitched a no-hitter—the first ever at Comerica Park—against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out 12 batters and walking four.^[1] He pitched a second no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 7, 2011, in Toronto, walking one and facing the minimum 27 batters.^[2] On November 15, 2011, Verlander was named the 2011 AL Cy Young Award winner by a unanimous vote, becoming the first American League pitcher since Johan Santana in 2006 to win the award in such a fashion. On November 21, 2011, Verlander was voted the AL MVP, winning with 280 points over Jacoby Ellsbury's 242, completing a sweep of the Cy Young Award and MVP, a rare feat for a pitcher in the modern era.^[3]

Playing career[link]

Amateur career[link]

His father Richard, who was president of the local Richmond, Virginia chapter of the Communications Workers of America, sent Justin to The Richmond Baseball Academy. Justin clocked 84 mph (135 km/h) shortly after joining the academy. His velocity kept climbing, and hit 86 MPH by the time he entered Goochland High School. He had been a top pitching prospect in high school, but his career suffered a setback when he came down with strep throat early in his senior season of baseball. A weakened Verlander topped out at 81 during that season, causing professional scouts to lose interest.^[4] After he recovered, his velocity reached 87 during his first year at Old Dominion.

Verlander, a 6' 5" 200 pound (1.96 m, 91 kg) right-hander, pitched for the Old Dominion University baseball team for three years. On May 17, 2002, he struck out a then school record 17 batters against James Madison. In 2003, he set a school single-season record by recording 139 strikeouts; in 2004, he broke his own record and established a new Colonial Athletic Association record with 151 strikeouts. Verlander completed his career as the all-time strikeout leader in Old Dominion, the Colonial Athletic Association and the Commonwealth of Virginia (Division I) history with 427 in 335⅔ innings. During his three years, he averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings, and his career collegiate earned run average was 2.57.

Verlander pitched for Team USA in 2003 and helped the USA to a silver medal in the Pan Am Games. He was named CAA Rookie of the Year in 2002 and earned All-CAA honors in 2003 and 2004. Verlander was named the ODU Alumni Association's Male Athlete of the Year in 2004, and was the second overall pick in the 2004 Baseball draft by Detroit.

Minor leagues[link]

Verlander's professional baseball career began when the Detroit Tigers selected him second overall in the 2004 MLB Draft. After lengthy negotiations, he signed a contract on October 25, 2004. Verlander started the 2005 season for the Lakeland Tigers, where he showed surprisingly good control. He was rewarded with a brief appearance in the majors, making his first major league start against the Cleveland Indians on July 4, 2005. After two starts in the majors, he returned to the minor leagues pitching for the Erie SeaWolves, the AA affiliate of the Tigers.

Major leagues[link]

2006[link]

Verlander and his teammates celebrate after the final out of his first no-hitter.

In his first full season, Verlander went 17–9 with a 3.63 ERA, striking out 124 batters in 186 innings. On July 4, 2006, at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California, Verlander, Joel Zumaya, and Fernando Rodney each threw multiple fastballs clocked in at over 100 mph (160 km/h), becoming the first time in MLB history that three pitchers, on the same team, had done so during a game. He allowed only one stolen base in 2006 and picked off 7 baserunners. In 2006, he became the first rookie pitcher in the history of the game to win 10 games before the end of June, which eventually led to him being named AL Rookie of the Year at the end of the season. During Game 1 of the 2006 World Series, Verlander was the Tigers' starting pitcher against Anthony Reyes of the St. Louis Cardinals; the first time two rookies faced off to start a World Series.

2007[link]

His success continued in 2007, as he accumulated 18 wins and posted a 3.66 ERA with 183 strikeouts 201⅔ innings. On June 12, Verlander recorded a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out 12 and hitting 102 MPH on the radar gun.

2008[link]

In 2008, Verlander performed poorly to start the season. He lost 4 consecutive games before winning his first one. He led the A.L. in losses, totaling 17. Overall, he finished the 2008 season with a 11-17 win-loss record and an ERA of 4.84.

2009[link]

His 2009 season proved successful. He finished with a 19–9 record, an ERA of 3.45 and an MLB-leading 269 strikeouts.^[5] Verlander finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting behind winner Zack Greinke and runner-up Felix Hernandez.

2010[link]

On February 4, 2010, it was announced that Verlander and the Tigers had reached a deal for an $80 million, 5 year contract extension.^[6] On July 3, Verlander earned his 10th win of the season. This marked the fourth time in five years he has had double digit wins before the All-Star break. On September 18 Verlander beat the Chicago White Sox, throwing a complete game to earn his 17th win of the season. With that win he became the first pitcher to win 17 games in 4 of his first 5 seasons since Dwight Gooden.^[7] He would finish 2010 with an 18–9 record and 3.37 ERA.

2011[link]

On April 22, Verlander recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in a 9–3 win over the White Sox, becoming the 15th Tiger to do so.^[8] On May 7, he recorded his second career no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays, throwing four strikeouts, walking one batter and throwing at a maximum speed of 101 MPH on the radar gun. He carried a perfect game into the 8th inning before allowing a walk to J. P. Arencibia, who was the only man to reach base for the game.^[2] Verlander became the second Tigers pitcher since Virgil Trucks, and the thirtieth pitcher in the history of baseball, to throw multiple no-hitters. On his next start, against the Kansas City Royals on May 13, Verlander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before surrendering a triple. Altogether, he pitched 15⅔ consecutive no-hit innings, spread over three starts.

On June 14, Verlander took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. He pitched 7⅓ innings until he gave up a base hit to Cleveland's Orlando Cabrera. Verlander ended up with a complete game shutout allowing two hits. In his next start on June 19, he threw another complete game allowing a solo home run to Ty Wigginton.^[9] On June 25, he recorded a career-high 14 strikeouts against Arizona.^[10] On July 3, 2011, Verlander was selected to his fourth AL All-Star team, but he was unable to participate in the game due to the scheduling of his starts. On July 31, 2011, Verlander took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before surrendering a single to Maicer Izturis. He walked two and struck out nine. On August 11, Justin won his 100th major league game against the Cleveland Indians. On August 27, he became the first pitcher in the major leagues to attain 20 wins in the current season. The victory also made Verlander the first Tiger since Bill Gullickson in 1991 to win 20 games, and the first major leaguer since Curt Schilling in 2002 to reach 20 wins before the end of August.^[11]

By the end of the season, Verlander had won the Triple Crown of pitching in the AL, leading the league in wins (24), strikeouts (250; tied for 6th-most in Tigers history), and ERA (2.40).^[12] Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw clinched the NL Triple Crown earlier in the week, making it the first since 1924 that a season featured a Triple Crown pitcher in both leagues. Verlander also led the AL in innings pitched (251), win-loss percentage (.828; 6th-best in Tigers history), and in errors committed by a pitcher (5).^[13] Throughout the season, he never had an outing in which he threw fewer than 6 innings or 100 pitches. Through 2011, Verlander had the best career strikeouts-per-9-innings-pitched percentage in Tigers' history (8.3), and the second-best career win-loss percentage (.652; also the fourth-best percentage of all active pitchers).^[13][14]

Verlander received various awards for his play in 2011. Those awards included the AL TSN Pitcher of the Year, The Sporting News Player of the Year Award, a Players Choice Award for Player the Year and Most Outstanding American League pitcher, and a USA Today American League Cy Young.

On November 3, 2011, Verlander was named the cover athlete of Major League Baseball 2K12.^[15]

On November 15, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced that Verlander had unanimously won the 2011 AL Cy Young Award.^[16]

On November 21, 2011, it was announced that Verlander had also won the AL MVP Award, a rarity for a pitcher, in a much closer vote. Verlander edged out Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury, 280 points to 242 points, while collecting 13 of 28 first-place votes.^[17] He became the first pitcher to claim an AL MVP Award since Dennis Eckersley in 1992, the first starting pitcher to do so since Roger Clemens in 1986, and the third Tiger to do so in franchise history (joining Denny McLain and Hal Newhouser).

2012[link]

On May 18, Verlander took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates before giving up a one-out single in a 6-0 victory. It was his first-career complete game one-hitter, his 16th complete game overall, and sixth career shutout. Verlander, who struck out 12 in the game, was hitting the upper-90s and even 100 mph into the eighth inning.^[18]

Pitch repertoire[link]

He features two fastballs: a four-seamer in the high-90s (which routinely pushes and occasionally eclipses 100 MPH) and a two-seamer in the low- to mid-90s with good arm-side run. He also throws a 12–6 curveball in the 78–83 mph range, a circle changeup in the low to mid-80s, and a slider which he throws 83–89 mph. Observers frequently note that Verlander's fastball regularly registers in the high-90s, and the velocity of the pitch remains relatively uniform throughout the course of a game. Many attribute Verlander's success to his outstanding endurance.^[19]

Awards and accolades[link]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
• List of Major League Baseball wins champions
• List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Justin Verlander

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)