'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Justin Verlander has won the 2022 American League Cy Young Award. At the age of 39, the premier pitcher is showing no signs of letting up. Indeed, he is no stranger to the Cy Young Awards.
The Cy Young Award is a distinction given to the top pitchers in the American and National leagues. The winners are selected by the Baseball Writers Association of America and announced every year in November.
The award is named after legendary pitcher Cy Young, who pitched from 1890 to 1911 for the Boston Red Sox, among other teams. With 511 wins, he holds the record for the most wins ever by a pitcher.
When Justin Verlander was first drafted by the Detroit Tigers, 2nd overall in the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft, people knew that he was going to be good. He made a pair of starts in 2005, losing both and finishing with an ERA of 7.15, but was only getting started.
Trending
In his second season with the Tigers, the player finished with a record of 19-7 and an ERA of 3.63. These numbers were good enough for him to finish seventh in Cy Young voting in 2006.
"Justin Verlander gets a Gatorade bath after throwing his second career no-hitter, 2011" - @ Baseball in Pics
In 2011, Verlander emerged as the best pitcher in baseball. He finished with a league-best 24 wins, a league-lowest 2.40 ERA and a league-most 250 strikeouts, easily winning the 2011 Cy Young Award, his first such distinction.
After joining the Houston Astros in 2017, he did not slow down. In 2019, he again led the league with 21 wins. He also had the most innings pitched with 223, becoming the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2019 for the second time in his career.
"More hardware for Justin Verlander’s shelf." - @ MLB
That brings us to this season. With the Astros extending a 1-year deal before the start of 2022, many expected this season to be the 39-year old's last. However, Verlander showed he still has it. He finished with a record of 18-4, and an ERA of just 1.75, the lowest in the MLB for the second time in his career.
The 2022 Cy Young Award was the third of Verlander's career.
Justin Verlander shows no signs of slowing as he enters free agency
To the surprise of many, Verlander decided not to re-sign with the Houston Astros in 2022. This made him a free agent. With many teams pursuing him, he can only expect to be keeping up his magic in whatever jersey he finds himself wearing in 2023.
