Astros Legend Justin Verlander Latest to Join Elite MLB Strikeout Club

With his third strikeout in the game, Verlander became just the 10th pitcher in Major League history to strikeout 3,500 hitters. It came in the first inning as he struck out the side. The victim was Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who has experience facing Verlander from his days with the Texas Rangers in the American League. After the strikeout, he took a moment to acknowledge the crowd and the milestone as he walked to the dugout.

The list of players ahead of him are all legends, with all but one in the Hall of Fame. The leader is a former Astros legend, Nolan Ryan, who played 27 seasons and struck out 5.714 hitters. He is nearly 1,000 hitters ahead of No. 2 on the list, Randy Johnson, who played for 22 seasons and briefly played for the Astros.

Roger Clemens, who also played for the Astros late in his career, is third with 4,672 strikeouts in 24 seasons. He is the one pitcher on the list not in the Hall of Fame, as his connections to performance enhancing drugs have kept him out of the Hall.

The other pitchers in front of Verlander are Steve Carlton (4,136), Bert Blyleven (3,701), Tom Seaver (3,640), Don Sutton (3,574), Gaylord Perry (3,534 and Walter Johnson (3,509).

Justin Verlander With the Astros

At the 2017 trade deadline, the Astros acquired him from the Detroit Tigers at the 2017 MLB trade deadline. He went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in his five starts. He followed that with a 4-1 record in the postseason and helped the Astros to their second World Series appearance. Even though he didn’t win either of his two World Series starts, the Astros claimed their first world title.

Verlander was 36 years old when he started his first full season with the Astros in 2018. He had back-to-back All-Star seasons and helped them get back to the World Series in 2019, where they lost to the Washington Nationals.

Then, in 2020, he made one start before he suffered the first major injury of his career — a torn UCL that led to Tommy John surgery. He missed the entire 2021 season.

He returned in 2022 and in his age 39 season he went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA and won his third Cy Young award. He also struck out 218 and won the AL pitching triple crown, pushing the Astros to a second World Series crown.

Verlander left join the New York Mets but returned at the trade deadline in 2023 and helped the Astros to the ALCS. His last season in Houston, 2024, was forgettable due to injuries.

But, in seven seasons with Houston he finished 73-28 with a 2.71 ERA in 130 starts.