Justin Verlander returns to Houston to face Astros for first time
HOUSTON — The last time Justin Verlander was in Minute Maid Park, he was on the field celebrating with his Houston Astros teammates. It was his second World Series win with the Astros and his first since getting married and becoming a father. Verlander and model Kate Upton wed just days after the Astros won the World Series in 2017.
It’s been a strange year for Verlander. He returned to his first Major League home in Detroit in May and now returns to his second in Houston with the Mets desperately trying to turn their season around. Verlander himself is trying to recapture the form he had with the club down the hall last season when he won the American League Cy Young Award.
“A lot of changes in my life while I was here,” Verlander said Monday in the Minute Maid Park visitors clubhouse. “A lot of maturity as a person as a player. That 34-40 age range, I feel like, naturally, in life that’s kind of like a new chapter in a lot of people’s stories and it certainly was for me. I was just so happy to be able to share some of those great years with a great organization, great fan base and great teammates.”
These should be full-circle moments for a pitcher on his way to the Hall of Fame. Instead, it’s a confusing chapter for Verlander and his new team.
The Mets are coming into a three-game series against the reigning world champs five games under .500 and Verlander is 2-3 with a 4.40 ERA. There has been little consistency from start to start for the entire Mets starting staff this season and it’s been no different for Verlander, who started the season on the injured list with a teres major strain in his right shoulder.
Now 40, he’s trying to figure out why he isn’t the ace he was last season. No one has really been able to figure out why he is striking out fewer batters and getting hit harder than he did last year.
It could be the one thing no one wants to say, that age and the mileage on his arm have caught up. It’s something you’ll certainly never hear his co-ace, Max Scherzer, say.
Maybe returning to a place where he had so much success will help him find success moving forward. This place is as good as any, and the right-hander is lined up to start Tuesday.
But first, he’ll finally get a look at the championship ring he earned last fall. Verlander had notoriously struggled in the World Series and finally won a decision in Game 5 last fall when he held the Philadelphia Phillies to one run over four innings at Citizens Bank Park. It was the icing on the cake of his third Cy Young Award-winning season. It was vintage Verlander, and it came right after missing 2021 to recover from Tommy John surgery.
“I don’t know if it meant more. I talked a lot about perspective last year and just trying to be present so I think maybe I enjoyed that ride more than some other moments in my career in the past,” Verlander said. “I think the purpose behind being more present and just enjoying it not taking anything for granted. I think allowed me to enjoy that ride last year.”
It’s unclear how much he’s enjoying the ride this year because no one in the Mets clubhouse is relishing this underperformance. But Verlander’s family is enjoying being in New York and he’s found a new rhythm and a new routine this season.
Monday night, Verlander received some new hardware when Astros manager Dusty Baker presented him with his ring at home plate. He’ll tuck it away with all the other trophies, rings and awards he has earned throughout his 18-year career. They’ll be displayed after he retires.
“I haven’t looked at it on purpose,” Verlander said before the game. “I try not to.”
It’s a reminder of the past but a motivation toward the future. He didn’t sign with the Mets to languish on a losing team in the final years of his career. There is still time for the Mets and for Verlander to change the trajectory of the 2023 season.
“There’s another level he’s chasing,” said manager Buck Showalter. “He’s chasing perfection every day.”
