As he enters his age-37 season, Justin Verlander may be getting some oomph back on his pitches.
The Houston Astros right-hander made his first start of the spring Tuesday, throwing 53 pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals. He topped out at 97 miles per hour and had his fastball regularly sitting in the 93 to 95 range.
After the game, Verlander, who had been battling groin discomfort this spring, sounded encouraged about his health and his velocity.
“I was pretty surprised seeing some of the numbers I saw,” said the reigning AL Cy Young winner, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.
“I think after today I can start to forget about worrying about my groin,” he added. “And just go about my routine and worry about getting my pitch shape and deception that I want.”
Verlander saw his velocity tail off some in 2019 but still had an elite season, going 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA and 300 strikeouts in 34 starts. He has been open about his desire to pitch for significantly longer, so it will be interesting to see how he keeps striking the balance between throwing hard and throwing smart.
