Justin Verlander hometown: Where did the Cy Young winning pitcher grow up?

The pride of Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, Justin Verlander has accomplished just about everything that a pitcher can in the MLB. His dominant 2022 season led to the future Hall of Famer winning his third Cy Young award and his second World Series title, as well as the 2022 American Comeback Player of the Year award.

"All-Star. Cy Young. World Series Champion. Now, AL Comeback Player of the Year. What a 2022 for Justin Verlander!" - MLB

At 39 years of age, Verlander delivered one of the most spectacular seasons of his career, finishing the 2022 season with a 18-4 record and an ERA of 1.75. Proving yet again why he is one of the best of his generation, Verlander's 1.75 ERA was the best of his 17-year career.

Verlander was drafted by the Detroit Tigers with the second overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft, one spot behind Matt Bush, who was selected first overall by the San Diego Padres. Upon his selection, Justin Verlander instantly became the most famous person to come from Manakin-Sabot, Virginia.

"Justin Verlander is from a town in Virginia that sounds like a Street Fighter match." - @ArkanasFred

Located northwest of Richmond, Manakin-Sabot had a population of 4,634 in 2010. Verlander played Little League at Tuckahoe Little League in Richmond before playing senior baseball at Goochland High School. After three seasons at Old Dominion University, Verlander found himself a member of the Detroit Tigers.

The Virginia native has an overall career win/loss record of 244-133, while his career ERA sits at 3.24. If those numbers aren't impressive enough, he currently sits 12th all-time in career strikeouts with a whopping 3,198.

Justin Verlander's 2022 comeback season

Another reason why Justin's 2022 season was even more impressive than what the stats detail is the fact that he missed the entire 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery. At 39 years old, it seems that the injury should have been career-ending, or at least drastically impactful to his productivity.

"Justin Verlander missed the entire 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery. This year he won the World Series and third career Cy Young. No surprise that he's the AL Comeback Player of the Year" - MLB Europe

The surgery usually requires a minimum of one year to recover, and it is unclear if the pitcher will be able to return to his previous form. However, Verlander is a different breed of pitcher and surpassed all expectations for him coming into the 2022 season, maintaining a fastball velocity similar to his career averages.