BRIAN T. SMITH ON VERLANDER.
Justin Verlander came to the Astros to vie for a title, and the results could not have been more satisfying
Justin Verlander’s baseball hero and childhood idol, Nolan Ryan, watched the endless beauty behind home plate.
When Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve gathered before the Astros’ eruption in the ninth inning, they told themselves they had to finish off the Yankees in Verlander’s honor.
And even if A.J. Hinch had tried to remove the ball from his new ace’s hands before the 124th pitch in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, the manager knew exactly what Verlander would say. Go away. This is still my game to win. I’m not leaving the mound. “I would have had to rip the ball away from that man if I was going to take him out,” said Hinch, after Correa ripped a game-winning double to right field. Altuve kept racing toward home and the Astros celebrated a 2-0 lead in the ALCS by going crazy at Minute Maid Park, in one of the most thrilling playoff finishes in franchise history.
The 2017 Astros aren’t two wins away from the World Series without Verlander.
Heck, they might not be playing in the middle of October.
Life-changing decision
Verlander changed his life at the last minute just before August became September, suddenly agreeing to become a Houstonian. Since then, all the 34-year-old righthander has done is arrive at Minute Maid on the day the Astros started playing home games again after Hurricane Harvey, dominate the mound on the day his new team captured the AL West, shut down Boston in Game 1 of the AL Division Series, emerge out of the pen for the first time in his career to clinch Game 4, then silence New York 2-1 in Game 2 of the ALCS.
Verlander is a stunning 8-0 with 59 strikeouts and just eight earned runs in 512⁄3 innings as an Astro.
He’s 1998 Randy Johnson but ultimately even better — the best regular-season club in franchise history didn’t make it past the NLDS.
And all the phone calls, text messages, pros and cons, and monumental life decisions Aug. 31 now make so much sense.
Verlander has been exactly what the 2017 Astros needed and arrived at the absolutely perfect time. Saturday at Minute Maid was one of the strongest and most inspiring outings of his 13-year career, and the Astros aren’t up 2-0 against New York without No. 35.
“This is what I envisioned when I made that decision. When it came down to it, when I decided to say yes, these are the moments that you envision,” said Verlander, who set a career playoff high with 13 strikeouts and limited the Yankees to five hits and one earned run in nine winning innings. “I was brought here to help this team win a championship. And I’m aware of that and I’m going to do everything I possibly can.
“That’s what it’s all about, man, this is, after that game is over and just kind of sitting in the clubhouse and having my teammates come over and say how much they appreciated that effort, that’s what it’s all about. That means everything to me.”
Going the distance
In an era when starters are praised for just going seven, Verlander went the full, long, strong nine.
Ringing shouts and cheers in the eighth. Then the instant recognition of the rare and special during the final frame, with Minute Maid standing as one and proudly claiming Verlander as its own.
“That was probably the loudest I heard a ballpark or close to it. And I’ve been part of some pretty loud moments,” said Verlander, who passed Johnson for the most 11-or-more strikeout playoff games in MLB history. “The way those fans were pushing me to finish that game — or finish the ninth inning and have a chance to win the game — I mean that matters. It gets your adrenaline going.” So does this. Verlander struck out the side in the eighth and it was still 1-1. Then he returned to a roaring sea of orange in the ninth, endured a Didi Gregorius linedrive single to record three more outs, and the score didn’t move.
So before Yankees fireballer Aroldis Chapman took over and extra innings became real life, Correa turned to his close friend and spoke the truth.
We’ve got to do this for the team, Correa told Altuve. We’ve got to come through right now.
For 2-0 in the ALCS and two wins away from the World Series.
Because the man who chose the Astros on Aug. 31 had given everything he had for the Astros in Game 2.
“(Altuve’s) like, ‘OK, let’s do it,’ ” Correa said. Altuve single. Correa liner to right-center. Third-base coach Gary Pettis windmilling Altuve toward home. The ball arriving early, then bouncing around. The Astros leaping and shouting and believing, making all 124 of Verlander’s pitches count.
With boyhood idol watching
The ace delivered like an oldschool horse, mirroring the idol watching him from the seats.
“Because of his success and the style of pitcher he is, I’ve watched his career since he came on the scene as a rookie,” Ryan said in September.
The Astros followed Verlander’s lead, never gave in and finally forced the Yankees to.
“Big moments are meant for big-time performers. From pitch one Justin Verlander was big for this team. Really, pitch one as an Astro,” Hinch said. “But most importantly, this game (Saturday) he was exceptional in every way. From controlling his emotions to executing every pitch to being dominant with his fastball, the put-away breaking ball, a couple changeups.
“He just was every bit the topend pitcher in the league that he’s been for a really long time. This is such a big moment for our team. But he put us on his back —with his pitching.”
They wanted him for this time. He came here for this moment.
And in Game 2 of the ALCS, Verlander won it for the Astros.