The Houston Astros are rolling, they have been incredible this season and it does not end now. Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander becomes the eighteenth pitcher to rack up 3,000 strikeouts over the course of his career. This is not Verlander’s only feat this year, having thrown one of the Astros two no-hitters this season. The other no-hitter was a combined no-hitter started by Aaron Sanchez who was acquired at the trade deadline.
No. 3000.
Justin Verlander hits another big milestone.pic.twitter.com/mbFnrwNh0C
— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) September 29, 2019
Most MLB pitchers start to get worse as they get older and age, but Verlander has been lights out consistently since coming to the Astros organization. In 2019 heading into his latest start, Verlander is 20-6 with a 2.53 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 288 punch-outs. Verlander is in a battle for the 2019 American League Cy Young Award with another Astros pitcher, Gerrit Cole who hits the open market this fall. Verlander joins a club with names like Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, and CC Sabathia.
With the Astros heading into the postseason with Cole, Verlander, and Zack Greinke spearheading their rotation it is going to be tough for teams to get through them. Verlander is thirty-six years old and looking to head into his age thirty-seven season with his second Cy Young award. This postseason could get scary for other teams having to face the lineup that the Astros have with such lights out pitching on the mound and time will only tell if other teams will be able to handle it. With October and postseason baseball rolling around, look for the Astros to be in the running for another World Series appearance yet again.
