Verlander captured two of his three Cy Young Awards, struck out his 3,000th career batter and logged his 200th career win in a Houston uniform. After eight attempts, Verlander won his first and only World Series game, grinding through five innings of one-run ball in Game 5 of the 2022 Fall Classic. After he departed, Verlander wrapped manager Dusty Baker in a hug to thank him for the opportunity.<\/p>\n
The Astros also witnessed Verlander toss his third career no-hitter, after which he famously asked \u201cwhere the f\u2014 is Toro,\u201d adding an indelible memory to a tenure full of them.<\/p>\n
Verlander finished first or second in American League Cy Young voting during all three of his full, healthy seasons in Houston. The Astros played for a pennant in all but one of the seven seasons Verlander wore their uniform, cementing his tenure as one of the most impactful in the franchise\u2019s 65-year history.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe proved to be invaluable to the Astros historic stretch of deep playoff runs both with his pitching but as importantly with his leadership in the clubhouse and his ability to inspire his teammates and the fans,\u201d former general manager Jeff Luhnow told The Athletic on Wednesday after Verlander announced his plan to retire at season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe allowed his teammates to shine and when it was his turn, he consistently stepped up and delivered. A sure-fire Hall of Fame player in my book.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n On Wednesday, Verlander announced that he planned to retire at the end of the 2026 MLB season. (Nick Cammett \/ Diamond Images via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
In 2017, Luhnow parted with three prospects, Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron and Jake Rogers, to complete one of the most consequential trades in Houston sports history. Executing it helped a city start to heal from Hurricane Harvey\u2019s devastation one week earlier.<\/p>\n
Verlander became the bulldog his new ballclub lacked. He surrendered four runs in his final 34 regular-season innings before becoming a bona fide Houston legend during the postseason. Verlander made two masterful starts against the New York Yankees in the ALCS en route to MVP honors<\/a>.<\/p>\n Verlander\u2019s impassioned speech to Houston\u2019s dugout after exiting Game 2 of the World Series \u2014 with his jersey off and his undershirt exposing his arms \u2014 is remembered as one of the most seminal moments of that postseason run.<\/p>\n \u201cHis attention to detail, his preparation, his competitiveness, his want to be the best, was contagious,\u201d said Alex Bregman, the third baseman on Houston\u2019s 2017 team.<\/p>\n \u201cHe helped younger pitchers. He helped older pitchers. He helped position players. He helped everybody get better at the game of baseball. He expected a certain level of preparation and attention to detail out of everyone on his team. It was infectious and it made everyone better.\u201d<\/p>\n