Verlander's retirement announcement hits differently for Astros & ace Brown
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WASHINGTON -- He had already put together a Hall of Fame-worthy career in his 13 years with the Tigers before he joined the Astros in August 2017 following a trade that energized Houston, a city that was still reeling from the devastation from Hurricane Harvey.
The arrival of Justin Verlander proved to be the final piece for the Astros in their run to the World Series championship that season, and his six-plus years in a Houston uniform helped vault him into the conversation as one of the all-time greats.
Verlander, who helped Houston win two World Series titles, captured two American League Cy Young Awards, threw his third career no-hitter and reached 3,000 strikeouts in an Astros uniform, announced Wednesday that he plans to retire at season’s end. The announcement came shortly after Verlander was named to his 10th All-Star Game as a Legend Pick by Commissioner Rob Manfred to recognize his greatness over a 21-year Major League career.
“Just grateful to be part of his journey,” said Joe Espada, who managed Verlander in ‘24 and was the Astros bench coach from 2018-23. “I watched him compete at a high level for a long time and help us win a championship. He’s super competitive on the mound and is one of the best right-handed pitchers that I’ve been around.”
The 43-year-old Verlander, who re-signed with the Tigers prior to this year and is currently on the 60-day injured list due to hip and hamstring injuries, is highly likely to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame five years after his career is over.
There’s a case to be made that Verlander could have an Astros cap on his plaque in Cooperstown considering his success in Houston, much like Nolan Ryan’s plaque has a Rangers cap despite him playing nine seasons with the Astros and only five in Arlington.
“Can’t go wrong with either,” Astros ace Hunter Brown said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he wore a Houston cap, but then I wouldn’t be surprised if he wore a Tigers one, too. He was MVP with the Tigers, a couple of Cy Youngs [with Houston], a couple of World Series. I mean it’s hard to say.”
The Hall of Fame will help Verlander make that decision, but Brown’s perspective matters. He grew up in Detroit and idolized Verlander while he was in his heyday in a Tigers uniform. In fact, Brown modeled his delivery after Verlander. The pair later became teammates in Houston and had adjacent lockers.
“I developed my arsenal, my mechanics, trying to emulate one of the best pitchers on the planet,” Brown said. “I have a lot of fond, great memories watching him pitch.”
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Acquired by the Astros in a buzzer-beating deal in 2017, Verlander’s time in Houston included World Series titles in '17 and ‘22, AL Cy Young Awards in ‘19 and ‘22, his third career no-hitter and his 3,000th strikeout. He went 73-28 with a 2.71 ERA in 130 regular-season starts with Houston, which acquired him toward the end of ‘17 from the Tigers and again at the ‘23 Trade Deadline from the Mets.
“His second time around, when he joined us, he had a huge impact on Hunter Brown’s career and how to prepare,” Espada said. “I see a lot of similarities in Hunter and J.V. -- how he gets his information, how he uses the information, the style of pitching. J.V.’s demeanor, he was intense, he was focused, he was determined. He made a lot of people around him better because he expected everyone to be ready to go the day he pitched.”
Verlander’s impact on the Astros was immediate in ‘17. He went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five regular-season starts just after the trade and won ALCS MVP honors that October en route to his first ring. Five years later, he picked up another; while not as dominant in the '22 postseason, he set the tone in the Astros' ALCS sweep of the Yankees with an 11-strikeout gem in Game 1 and won his first World Series game in Game 5 in Philadelphia.
The Astros won’t play the Tigers again this season, but Brown said he sent Verlander a text congratulating him on a great career.
"I’m definitely a little bummed, but I’m sure he got what he wanted out of his career and then some,” Brown said.