Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

39-year-old Astros ace Justin Verlander: 'I want to play until they rip the jersey off me'

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 10/18/22

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander has been tabbed as the team's ALCS Game 1 starter for Wednesday. On Tuesday, the 39-year-old AL Cy Young candidate talked about his plan to continue pitching into his 40s.

Justin Verlander on his desire to pitch into his 40s: “I want to play until they rip the jersey off me.” @MLBNetwork @MLB @astros
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 18, 2022

Despite already being a lock for the Baseball Hall of Fame with an MVP, two AL Cy Young awards, a Rookie of the Year trophy, nine All-Star nods and a World Series title, 2022 was, perhaps Verlander's finest campaign. The former second overall draft pick finished the regular season by either leading or tied for the league lead in wins (18), ERA (career-low 1.75) and WHIP (0.82) among other categories.

The dominant 2022 season came after Verlander was limited to just one start during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and after missing the entire 2021 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Verlander signed a one-year, $25M contract to stay with the Astros for 2022, a deal that carries an option for 2023.

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