Justin Verlander reflects on the birth of his daughter as personal motivation to keep going strong at the age of 40

When asked what kept him motivated at the end of his career in his forties, Mets pitcher Justin Verlander kept it very simple.

No spring chicken, Verlander credited his family and, in particular, his daughter for his career transformation at this stage of his career. He described his daughter Genevieve as the catalyst behind his desire to still take the field to this day and give it his all.

"How does @JustinVerlander still dominate at age 40? The 3-time Cy Young Award winner talks about how the birth of his daughter has motivated him to keep going strong @Mets | #LGM | #Mets" - MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Twitter

While Justin Verlander reserved most of the praise for his daughter, he did sneak in a compliment for his wife, too.

"I think family for one, for me. I think the birth of my daughter, it really just changed me to my core. My wife would hate me if I didn't say that she didn't probably start the process, but then man my daughter just jump-started everything man, it's just such a blessing," Verlander told Mets sp.

"Justin Verlander shared a beautiful moment with his daughter after winning the World Serious" - Baseball Bros, Twitter

When asked about why he wants to keep playing, Verlander was quick to admit that baseball is his life.

"I put in all of this work my entire life. I have dedicated my life to this game, and here I am still having success. I don't play for accolades, I put in the hard work and the results come in because of that.

Finally, Justin Verlander hopes to set an example for his daughter and slowly introduce her to his career and work. While it looks like the first chapter is slowly coming to an end, Verlander's second and more beautiful life is only getting started.

Justin Verlander had an incredible 2022 season

Justin Verlander, the three-time Cy Young Award winner, had an unbelievably good 2022, which he concluded with a 18–4 record, 1.75 ERA, and 185 strikeouts in 175 innings pitched in the regular season.

He led all the major leagues in ERA, WHIP (0.829), and BAA (.186) while leading the American League in wins. He won his first ERA title since his 2011 MVP campaign while setting a career-best. Verlander continues to pitch well in games, with his pitches in the upper 90s.

Verlander finished the season on a high, pitching in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. He helped engineer a World Championship win for the Houston Astros.