Justin Verlander: "I just wanna play until they rip the jersey off of me"

Justin Verlander isn't thinking about retirement in the slightest. He's been in the league for 17 seasons, and he believes he's just reaching his peak. He doesn't want to retire until he knows he's incapable of playing at an elite level.

During his media availability, he was asked if he saw his career coming to an end in the near future. The ace won't leave baseball until he's certain he's left everything he has out on the field.

"I just wanna play until they rip the jersey off me," said Justin Verlander.

He's at the top of his game right now. In the regular season, he led the entire league in ERA and WHIP. His 18-4 record was good enough to be the second-best in the league.

He's been a menace when pitching at home. He has a 10-1 record with a 1.64 ERA in the regular season. He's been a big reason as to why the Houston Astros are in the ALCS.

"I love the game, I love competing."

Justin Verlander is a competitor at heart. That's the reason he came back from Tommy John surgery at the age of 37, when most other pitchers would consider winding down their careers. Instead of winding down his career, he turned it up and is now a Cy Young candidate.

Justin Verlander and Houston's pitching staff has been a big key to their success this season

Division Series - Houston Astros v Seattle Mariners - Game 3

While all eyes were on the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, the success of the Houston Astros wasn't a big talking point. They finished the regular season with the second-best record in baseball.

The Astros have relied heavily on their pitching rotation this year. They have one of the best pitching staffs in the league.

Alongside Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez has had a fantastic year on the mound. He broke the league's consecutive quality start record at 25 quality starts. He's been able to go deep into every single game he has played this season, allowing Houston's bullpen to rest.

The Astros had so many starting pitchers this year that they had to move one to the bullpen. Christian Javier, who had a solid season on the mound for Houston, was moved to the bullpen to make room for starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.

Their pitching staff is so deep that they can allow some guys like Javier to come in for multiple innings. They had to do this with Luis Garcia in their 18-inning, game three win over the Seattle Mariners This gives them a clear advantage over other teams in the postseason.

The Astros pitching staff could be the difference makers in them winning the World Series this year.