Astros Ace Justin Verlander Plans On Pitching ‘Until They Rip The Jersey Off Me’

Justin Verlander is a Cy Young favorite at age 39. The Astros’ Game 1 starter in the ALCS plans on pitching into his 40s.

At age 39, Justin Verlander has positioned himself as a Cy Young favorite. So it’s no surprise that the future Hall of Famer plans on pitching for a few more years.

The Astros ace has previously stated his intention to pitch into his 40s. With 250 wins on the horizon and 3,000 strikeouts already surpassed, the right-hander said past greats motivate him to continue his career.

“I love the game. I love competing,” Verlander told reporters Tuesday, a day before his Game 1 start in the American League Championship Series against the Yankees. “I just want to play until they rip the jersey off me. I'm not going to be out there making a fool of myself, don't get me wrong. But it's just the way I've always envisioned it. You see the greats of the past, and those guys pitched into their 40s. It was never a question in my mind that if you want to be great, that's what you have to do.”

Verlander showed no signs of slowing down in 2022 after Tommy John surgery cost him all but one game in 2020 and the entire 2021 season. He shook off any existing rust and led the American League with 18 wins and a 1.75 ERA this year while helping the Astros to another AL West title.

But as good as he was in the regular season, Verlander struggled in his first postseason start against the Mariners on Oct. 11. Pitching in the Division Series on extended rest, the former MVP allowed six earned runs in a game Houston ultimately won.

On Wednesday, Verlander will pitch after another lengthy hiatus. But manager Dusty Baker is confident the nine-time All-Star will avoid another dud against the rival Yankees.

“We're not worried about Justin,” Baker told reporters Tuesday. “I mean, it can happen to anybody. I don't care how great you are or what your track record says, that's why you play the game. So we anticipate Justin to come out and throw a great game.”

No matter how Wednesday’s start or the rest of this series goes, it sounds like Verlander has plenty of innings left in his tank.

Some players would think about retirement at Verlander's age. But he wants to see how many more seasons he can tack onto his career.

“We have such a short window as athletes to play the game that really has defined my life up to this point, up until I got married and had my daughter,” Verlander said. “I would never want to look back with regret that I didn't find out how far I could take this. I obviously was gifted to throw a baseball, so why would I stop that short?”