The demise of Justin Verlander has been greatly exaggerated.
In his last start, Verlander allowed seven runs and three homers in five innings, striking out only two batters. Had the Grim Reaper finally claimed Verlander’s effective career?
Not yet.
To this observer, we saw a new Verlander. It seems he made the kind of adjustments aging pitchers often make—trading power for precision and guile.
And my, how it worked.
A pitcher who throughout his career as an Astros was capable of hitting 98 or even 99 MPH, today he threw only one fastball to hit 95 on the gun.