Justin Verlander once suspected MLB was juicing balls to encourage more offense

New York Mets pitcher Justin Verlander has always been a star player. The All-Star has played for the Detroit Tigers and the Houston Astros and broken several MLB records.

Verlander once spoke against MLB when he suspected that the baseball league commissioner was manipulating the game.

Since the All-Star break in 2015, when home runs increased, discussions of a juiced ball have been rife. Since they were roughly 60% higher than in 2014, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred ordered an investigation to see whether the balls were to blame for the increase in home runs. The examination concluded that the balls were acting differently, but it offered no explanation.

Of MLB commissioner Manfred, Verlander said to ESPN in 2019:

“Manfred, the first time he came in, what'd he say? He said we want more offense. All of a sudden he comes in, the balls are juiced? It's not coincidence. We're not idiots.

"All I’m saying is I don’t care if balls are juiced [seriously]. We’re all using the same ball so it’s a fair field. My issue is I don’t like being lied to. I knew something was different. Century old records are being broken and numbers are skewed."

Justin Verlander believed MLB had deliberately "juiced" the balls

When asked if he thought the league had purposefully "juiced" the balls, Verlander responded:

"Yes. 100 percent. They've been using juiced balls in the Home Run Derby forever. They know how to do it. It's not coincidence. I find it really hard to believe that Major League Baseball owns Rawlings and just coincidentally the balls become juiced."

Verlander, who made his MLB debut in 2005, has been selected to nine MLB All-Star games and won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2006.

New York Mets Introduce Justin Verlander

For the first time ever, he led the AL with both wins and strikeouts in 2009.

Justin Verlander slams MLB, Rob Manfred for 'juiced balls' that have league on record-shattering home run pace. 'It's a f---ing joke.' – Yahoo Sports MLB

2011 was Verlander's most productive season and featured the second no-hitter of his career against the Toronto Blue Jays. By the end of the campaign, Verlander had earned the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, the Sporting News Player of the Year Award, the AL Cy Young Award, and the Pitching Triple Crown. 2019 was Verlander's first season with 300 strikeouts in his career.