As currently situated, Justin Verlander is a favorite to receive his third AL Cy Young award for his performance — 170 innings, 1.80 ERA — this season. Considering how he is 39 years old and had Tommy John surgery roughly two years ago, his performance will be remembered for a long time. Deservingly so, I might add, once you account for how he is posting these kinds of results with diminished strikeout numbers. But, wait, the velocity is still there?!
But that is another post for another day. However, when first reviewing the numbers, I couldn’t help but notice this interesting aspect of Verlander’s performance this season, which is probably tied to the decreased offensive environment across the league: The decline in home runs allowed.