Verlander caps comeback year with 3rd Cy Young

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander was unanimously voted the American League Cy Young Award victor connected Wednesday, capping a superb bounce-back play that saw him scope unprecedented heights.

Verlander bushed retired Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox and Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays.

With Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara besides winning the NL Cy Young by unanimous vote, this marks conscionable the 2nd clip that some Cy Young winners were unanimous. Bob Gibson and Denny McLain besides won unanimously successful 1968, 1 twelvemonth aft the grant started to beryllium fixed retired to some leagues.

Verlander's Cy Young, the 3rd of his career, came aft spending astir of the past 2 years recovering from Tommy John surgery. At 39 years and 227 days aged connected the past time of the regular season, Verlander becomes the the fourth-oldest victor of the Cy Young.

Verlander led the AL successful wins (18) and led the majors successful some ERA (1.75) and WHIP (0.83), fronting a heavy Astros pitching unit that helped unafraid a championship.

His ERA was the champion by a pitcher who made a minimum of 25 starts successful his age-39-or-older play since earned runs became authoritative successful some leagues successful 1913. Verlander became the second-oldest pitcher to pb the majors successful ERA, topped lone by a 43-year-old Roger Clemens successful 2005. His 1.75 ERA was the lowest by an AL pitcher successful a afloat play since Pedro Martinez had a 1.74 ERA successful 2000.

Verlander, present a escaped agent, completed astatine slightest six innings successful 22 of his 28 starts and accumulated 175 innings during the regular season, striking retired 185 batters and walking lone 29. He followed with an up-and-down show successful the ensuing postseason but overcame shaky bid to lend 5 innings of one-run shot against the Philadelphia Phillies successful Game 5 of the World Series, a large measurement successful yet attaining his 2nd title.

Verlander, who antecedently won the Cy Young Award successful 2011 and 2019, is the 11th subordinate to triumph it 3 oregon much times. The lone 1 among them who is not successful the Hall of Fame contempt being eligible is Clemens, notoriously tied to performance-enhancing drugs.

Verlander's 3rd came successful the astir improbable of ways -- adjacent the extremity of his career, connected the heels of large elbow surgery. He became the 2nd non-rookie ever to marque a minimum of 15 starts and station a sub-2.00 ERA contempt not pitching successful the majors the erstwhile season, according to probe by ESPN Stats & Information. The different was Fred Toney, who had a 1.58 ERA for the 1915 Cincinnati Reds aft pitching successful the insignificant leagues the erstwhile year.

Cease went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and 227 strikeouts. Manoah went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA, the second-lowest people successful Blue Jays history.

But Verlander was astatine the apical of his people erstwhile again.