Justin Verlander was on top of his game during the Houston Astros’ 4-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
Verlander turned back the clock with a vintage performance on the day, pitching in 8.0 innings while logging eight strikeouts and allowing zero earned runs. From the 17 swings and misses notched to the four-seam fastball that hit in the mid-90s, Mariners hitters did not have much of a chance against the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner.
Overall, Verlander’s stat line of 8.0 shutout innings and eight strikeouts on less than 90 pitches thrown on the road was a historic one. The Astros hurler became the first player to reach this feat since longtime Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Greg Maddux did so against the New York Yankees 25 years ago.
Justin Verlander of the @astros is the first pitcher to throw 8.0+ shutout innings with 8+ strikeouts on under 90 pitches on the road since Atlanta's Greg Maddux did it at Yankee Stadium on July 2, 1997.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) April 17, 2022
Of course, Maddux accomplishing this feat against the revered Yankees offense of the late 1990s was quite an achievement. Still, for a 39-year-old pitcher who is just coming off of Tommy John surgery, one could argue that this showing from Verlander was a bit more impressive than Maddux’s stout outing against the Yankees.
Taking into account that MLB has featured a multitude of standout pitchers over the past two decades, Verlander's Baseball Hall of Fame resume should be bolstered after becoming the first player in the 21st century to achieve this accomplishment.
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