HOUSTON (AP) — When Justin Verlander took the mound for the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the AL Division Series on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners, it had been almost three years since his last playoff appearance.
Verlander, who missed almost two seasons after Tommy John surgery, looks to build on his remarkable comeback season when he leads Houston into the postseason in the opener of the best-of-five series.
“This crowd here’s always great, especially in the playoffs,” Verlander said. “So hopefully we can feed off that, and just try to continue to pitch like I have all season.”
Verlander’s last postseason appearance came on Oct. 29, 2019, when he allowed five hits and three runs in five innings of a loss to Washington in Game 6 of the World Series. Tuesday will be his 31st playoff start and 32nd appearance in his 20th playoff series.
“Unbelievable Hall of Fame-type career, on top of his game, maybe better than he’s ever been most recently,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “We certainly have seen him a lot through the years, and he’s not slowing down, unfortunately for us.”
The 39-year-old Verlander led the AL with 18 wins, and his MLB-leading 1.75 ERA is the lowest for an AL qualified pitcher in a full season since Pedro Martinez’s 1.74 ERA in 2000.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner’s ERA also was the lowest of his career, besting his 2.40 ERA in 2011, when he won his first Cy Young and was also voted AL MVP while with Detroit.
Verlander, who also won a Cy Young in 2019, is a top candidate to win the award for a third time this season after returning to form following his injury.
Veteran second baseman Jose Altuve said Verlander’s return gives the Astros a boost as they try to return to the World Series for the fourth time in six seasons and reach their sixth consecutive ALCS.
“He’s just amazing the way he pitched, the way he came back from injury,” Altuve said. “He’s the right guy to have out there in Game 1… (and) we all know he’s going to go out there and be him.”
Verlander was great against the Mariners in the regular season, going 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in six starts. He believes this series will be interesting because the AL West foes know each other so “intimately.”
Houston had the advantage in the regular season, winning 12 of 19 games.
The Mariners advanced to the ALDS after rallying from a seven-run deficit in Game 2 of the wild-card round to sweep the Blue Jays. That victory was the biggest road comeback win in playoff history and baseball’s largest comeback victory to clinch a postseason series.
“Their lineup is really good,” Verlander said. “They never give in, as you saw in the series against Toronto. They grind out at-bats. They don’t make it easy.”
The Mariners will counter with Logan Gilbert, who will make his first postseason start, as they continue their first playoff run since 2001 with ace Luis Castillo unavailable after starting the first game of the wild-card series on Friday.
