Justin Verlander won his third American League Cy Young thanks to his incredible season with the Houston Astros. And the future Hall of Fame superstar made not only MLB history, but sports history in general.
According to OptaSTATS, Verlander is the second player in major North American sports history to win an MVP award after missing the previous year with an injury or illness.
Verlander missed the 2021 season with the Astros after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He signed a one-year contract with the team last offseason and won the World Series earlier this month.
The other athlete to accomplish this feat is Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux. Super Mario missed the 1994-95 season due to fatigue from his radiation treatments for Hodgkin's lymphoma.
He returned for the 1995-96 season and lit the NHL on fire. He scored an incredible 69 goals and notched 161 points to lead the league. The Penguins lost in the Eastern Conference Final, but Lemieux won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP.
Verlander won this Cy Young unanimously. Combined with Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara's victory, this is the first time the Cy Young winners both won unanimously since 1968.
Verlander's last Cy Young came in 2019 as a member of the Astros. His first came in 2011 with the Detroit Tigers. Verlander also won the American League MVP that season, the first pitcher to do so since Dennis Eckersley in 1992.
The Tigers traded Justin Verlander to the Astros in 2017. Though Verlander remained with the Astros since the trade, he is currently a free agent. Verlander spoke about the possibility of returning to the Astros after winning the Cy Young on Wednesday night.
It remains to be seen whether the future Hall of Famer returns to the Astros. Reports indicate he seeks a contract similar to the three-year, $130 million deal signed by former Tigers teammate Max Scherzer last winter with the New York Mets.
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