Verlander gives team, city a welcome shot in the arm
As Justin Verlander pulled the baseball cap onto his head, he grinned. His smile was as bright as the white “H” on the orange star emblazoned on the hat.
It was a genuine moment. The ace is officially an Astro. And he’s as happy about it as the rest of Houston.
For months, the chatter surrounding the Astros has included playoff glory and World Series dreams. With the addition of Verlander, the talk has picked back up.
And amid the recovery from the horror and devastation caused by Tropi-
cal Storm Harvey, the excitement of Verlander and what he brings to the table is coming at a perfect time for a city in need of good news.
It has been a whirlwind few days for Verlander and for the city he will now make his home after being traded from Detroit late Thursday night. As the deadline approached, he had about 40 minutes to decide whether to approve the trade and leave the place where he had spent his entire career.
Verlander paced around his living room, torn over the decision.
“Trust your instincts,” he told himself over and over again.
But he wasn’t sure what his instincts were saying.
There was loyalty to the city of Detroit. And comfort in the life he’d made there.
But Houston offered something every player wants: the chance of winning a championship.
The Astros have been building toward this for years. This is a team that isn’t merely set up to win today or tomorrow or even just this October. The Astros are built to win for the next several years.
No second thoughts
As the clock ticked toward midnight Eastern on Thursday, the prospect of a new adventure and the hopes of winning prevailed.
“It’s really hard to put into words the emotions and the thoughts that were running through my mind in such a short period of time,” he said. “Everything from uprooting my family to everything you can imagine. You have 35 to 40 minutes to decide if you want to move. You don’t know anybody; you don’t know anything about it. Go.”
As tough as the process was, Verlander woke up the next morning feeling less stress and anxiety and more excitement and joy. Playing in a postseason atmosphere among some of the top talent in the league in a city that is all in on its baseball team started to shine through.
“This is what we play this game for,” Verlander said. “We play to win.”
Everything about the way he presented himself during his introductory news conference at Minute Maid Park on Sunday morning showed that Verlander gets it.
“Listen to him, look at him, talk to him,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.
Verlander, 34, exudes the poise and confidence of a winner. He’s also humble and cool, ready to learn and work with his teammates.
He brings the right mix to a clubhouse full of young hot talent and wise vets. He’ll fit in in no time, and the results could be truly outstanding for the Astros, considering his 2.41 ERA and 0.91 WHIP since the All-Star break.
Hinch said he doesn’t want anyone getting ahead of themselves. The present focus is winning games and the division.
But considering their 13½-game lead in the AL West — they enter Labor Day with a magic number of 13 — it’s hard not to look beyond that.
Carlos Correa was back in the lineup Sunday and went 1-for-3 with a walk in an 8-6 win that completed a three-game sweep of the Mets. Verlander will make his first start Tuesday. Lance McCullers Jr. returns Wednesday.
Talking about the Astros playing baseball deep into the fall isn’t the least bit unreasonable.
When the non-waiver trade deadline came and went in July, there was clear public disappointment that the Astros didn’t make any major moves to enhance their postseason chances. The deal for Verlander erases any dismay from that time.
Instant icon
Every major sports franchise in the city has made big moves this year. The Texans drafted Deshaun Watson, the Rockets acquired Chris Paul, and now the Astros have added Verlander, who immediately becomes one of the premier stars in Houston and impacts the overall sports scene.
Verlander got a taste of what he means to this fan base. On Saturday, when he was put on Minute Maid’s big screen for the whole stadium to see, cheers erupted.
“I get goose bumps thinking about it,” he said Sunday. “The fans were unbelievable. My teammates were unbelievable.”
The decision was difficult. Leaving Detroit was harder than most can imagine.
But Verlander is an Astro now, and it just seems right.
“I can’t thank everybody enough,” he said, “and hopefully, we can bring a championship here to a city that could really use something like that right now. And hopefully, I can be a part of that, and we can give this city something to rally around.”
Houston is exactly where Justin Verlander belongs.