It had been eight years in the making, but Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander has finally been awarded the second AL Cy Young Award of his career.
Verlander, a likely Hall of Famer and one of the most dominant pitchers in the past decade plus of the sport, claimed the hardware for the first time since his 2011 season with the Detroit Tigers.
The 36-year-old starter became the oldest pitcher to take home the award since the Yankees’ Roger Clemens won the 2004 AL Cy Young trophy at the age of 42.
Verlander was dominant this season for the American League champion Astros, putting together a stellar 21-6 record with a 2.58 ERA and 300 strikeouts. He was the ace and the rock of the Houston pitching staff, one of the most dominant units in the league that helped them to win 106 games in the regular season.
The Virginia native narrowly claimed the award over Astros teammate Gerrit Cole, who finished second in the voting. Verlander and Cole became the first teammates in the history of Major League Baseball to finish #1 and #2 in Cy Young Award voting.
Verlander is expected to take the mound as the powerhouse Astros’ top starter in the 2020 season as well.
