Justin Verlander's Best Moments: Ranking the Ageless Ace's top 5 performances

Justin Verlander is one of the best pitchers in the world. At the age of 39, he was able to compile a record of 18-4 with an ERA of 1.75. For such an outstanding season, the World Series champion was given the third Cy Young Award of his career.

After the season, Verlander tied with teammate Max Scherzer as the highest-paid pitcher ever when he signed a 2-year deal worth $86 million with the New York Mets. Today, we are counting down the top 5 performances of Justin's astonishing career.

Top 5 Justin Verlander moments

5. No-Hitter, 2011

In 2011, Verlander went into a game against the Toronto Blue Jays as the starter for the Detroit Tigers. Verlander was cruising. He struck out eight Blue Jays in the 8th inning without surrendering a hit or a walk. In the 8th inning, he walked Jays catcher JP Arencibia on the 12th pitch of the at-bat to give up his perfect game.

"OTD: Justin Verlander threw his second career no-hitter against the Tornonto Blue Jays (2011). The only base runner he allowed came on a walk in the 1st, which he eventually erased on a double-play. 27 batters, 27 outs #DetroitRoots" - @ Barstool Detroit

Verlander recovered by getting the next batter to ground into a double play and retiring the next three batters in the ninth. The 108-pitch no-hitter made him the second Tigers pitcher to record multiple no-nos.

4. ALDS Game 5, 2013

The 2013 ALCS between the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland Athletics was a hot one. A bench-clearing brawl in Game 3 ensured that tensions ran high for the rest of the series. With the series tied 2-2, Justin Verlander got the ball in Game 5. He carried a perfect game into the sixth inning and a no-hitter into the seventh. Ultimately, Justin's 10-strikeout outing was enough to send his team on to the 2013 ALCS.

3. Third no-hitter, 2019

Verlander loves playing at the Rogers Center, home of the Toronto Blue Jays. On September 1st, 2019, he recorded the third no-hitter of his career and his first with the Houston Astros.

"Today in 2019: Houston #Astros pitcher Justin Verlander hurls his 3rd career no-hitter vs. the Toronto Blue Jays!

The game was doubly significant for Verlander, as his first-inning strikeout of Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette marked his 250th career strikeout.

2. First World Series game win, 2022

Heading into Game 5 of the 2022 World Series with the Houston Astros, Justin Verlander had a career 0-6 record with an ERA of 6.07 in the Fall Classic. Although some expected him to choke, Verlander showed that he doesn't let past struggles affect his present ability.

"Justin Verlander talks ahead of Game 5." - @ Julia Morales

Verlander threw five innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, striking out six and allowing just one run. His stellar performance marked his first World Series win and set the stage for the Astros to beat the Phillies in Game 6, winning their second World Series since 2017.

1. First no-hitter, 2007

Verlander was just 24 years old when he took the mound against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 12th, 2007.

"#OTD in 2007 Justin Verlander throws his first no-hitter" - @ Tigers History

The defending rookie of the year stepped up that night, striking out 12 Brewers hitters and becoming the first Tigers hitter in 23 years to pitch a no-hitter. The unreal outing set the stage for JV's long and legendary career as one of the best pitchers ever.