Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros won the 2019 Major League Baseball American League Cy Young Award. He was selected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America over his teammate Garrett Cole.
Verlander received 17 of the first place votes whereas Cole received 13 of those first place votes. Charlie Morton of the Tampa Bay Rays finished the race for the AL Cy Young Award in third place just one year after leaving the Houston Astros for Tampa Bay.
In my opinion, Cole deserved to win the American League Cy Young Award this season after his long stretch of not losing a game. He was pretty much unhittable throughout the 2019 MLB regular season.
Career Achievements, Awards, and Honors:
Verlander has now won his second Cy Young Award. The first came when he was in Detroit in 2011. In fact, that season he won the AL Cy Young Award to go along with his American League Most Valuable Player Award too. Verlander has already accomplished a Baseball Hall of Fame Career even though he is not done yet. Don Newcombe is the only other MLB player to win the Rookie of the Year Award, the Cy Young Award, and the Most Valuable Player Award throughout his illustrious career.
On top of all that, Verlander is an 8 time MLB All Star (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019). He is a World Series champion with the Houston Astros in 2017, and that year he was the MVP of the ALCS as well. He has led Major League Baseball in wins three times (2009, 2011, 2019). In 2011 he led the MLB in ERA.
Five times he has led the American League is strikeouts (2009, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018), and Verlander has thrown 3 no hitters (2007, 2011, 2019). He is also a member of the elusive 3,000 strikeout club. There is not much else a starting pitcher can do in his career, and he will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.
“The adversity I went through puts a new perspective on everything,” Verlander explained. “I mean, still would’ve liked to have won a couple of them.”
“I will always try to push the boundaries of what I can do,” he added. “If my body says, ‘Hold on, you can’t do that anymore,’ then I’ll pull back.”
“I know that Gerrit had a great time playing here and I know he would like to return, if possible,” he continued. “But that is now on Gerrit and his family and people above me.”
“It would mean a lot to me. Not just because of my age, but having gone through being at the top of my game, to going down and being hurt, and having people count me out, to getting back to where I am now.
“It gives me some perspective. I am enjoying it more. Not just the age, but having gone through at being atop of my game to going down and being hurt, and having people count me out, to all of the hard work to getting back to where I am now.
“All of that does allow me to appreciate the success a little bit.’’
“A couple of those years hurt a lot,’’ Verlander exclaimed.
“I think wins are important,’’ Verlander replied. “You ask any starting pitcher. You go out there and pitch seven innings, give up three runs and lose, you don’t feel as good as you do when you give up three runs in seven innings and win. As much as people want to shy away from the wins and losses, it definitely means something to us.
“I started to amass a good number of them. It comes with being healthy, throwing 200 innings, being out there for your team, covering the extra innings your bullpens doesn’t have to. When you do that, that’s how you get those extra wins.
“That’s how you get 13 to 15 wins instead of 10. That’s how you get 17 to 20 wins instead of 13 to 15. Those extra innings, those matter.’’
“You can’t put a number on it because people can’t quantify how valuable it is,’’ Verlander stated. “Just saving the bullpen, the impact those extra innings have, and what that means.”
“I think WAR is a pretty fickle number for starting pitchers, but the WHIP, that’s our job, to limit baserunners,’’ says Verlander. “The batting average against is a nice stat, but if you’re walking three or four batters per nine innings, the way batters now count a hit as good as a walk for OPS, those walks might as well be hits.’’
“People can say whatever they want,’’ Verlander expressed, “but I’m just going to keep my head down and keep pitching. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes. I do a lot more work now than I ever did before. It’s not just in the gym sweating my ass off, it’s the maintenance, knowing my body, and always kind of adapting and changing.
“I don’t know if I can do it or not, but I’m sure the hell going to try.’’
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