Astros’ Justin Verlander turns in brilliant performance in ALCS Game 1
Verlander #Verlander
Justin Verlander didn’t look like an ace in the early frames of Game 1 of the ALCS on Wednesday night.
The Houston Astros 39-year-old hurler needed 65 pitches to get through the first three frames against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park, as New York took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo home run from outfielder Harrison Bader. After struggling early in starts in the 2022 ALDS and 2019 World Series, Verlander appeared to be following a familiar trend on Wednesday.
But Verlander flipped the switch beginning in the fourth: He struck out the side in that inning, and capped the night by fanning seven of his final nine batters faced, exiting the mound with a roar while strutting to the dugout after finishing the sixth. It may have taken a few innings, but by the middle frames, peak Verlander was throwing in full force.
The sterling outing for Verlander came with a dose of history. His 10th strikeout on the evening gave him the record for most career postseason strikeouts, surpassing Dodgers ace and likely hall of famer Clayton Kershaw. Verlander notched his first playoff strikeout in October 2006. More than a decade later, the two-time Cy Young winner remains a dominant force.
Houston’s offense was able to capitalize on Verlander’s strong performance after a shaky first few innings. The Astros tallied a trio of home runs in the sixth and seventh innings, with Yuli Gurriel, Chas McCormick and Jeremy Peña each crushing a solo dinger to put the Astros up late. Peña in particular had a strong night, turning in his best playoff performance to date with a trio of extra base hits.
The Astros hold a 4-2 lead over New York as the contest heads to the bottom of the 8th. Follow along here for live updates.