Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander may have opened some old wounds with a comment he made about his longevity on Thursday.
Verlander is likely to win the AL Cy Young award despite being in his first season back from Tommy John surgery at the age of 39. The Astros ace was asked about his secret on Thursday, and his response raised some eyebrows.
“I don’t cheat,” Justin Verlander said of his longevity. “The best, natural way to do it is to sleep.”
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) October 27, 2022
“I don’t cheat. The best, natural way to do it is to sleep,” Verlander said.
The first portion of the quote was what elicited most of the attention. Verlander was, of course, a member of the 2017 Astros team that used a sign-stealing scheme throughout the regular season. In fairness to Verlander, he only joined at the end of August, and the cheating that went on was far more beneficial to hitters, not pitchers.
Still, Verlander’s comments are just going to remind people why the Astros have been one of the sport’s most hated teams for the last five years. On the other hand, it’s not like anyone had forgotten in the first place.
