Verlander wins for third time at 39
At 39 and in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, Justin Verlander returned to the Houston Astros and completed one of the finest seasons of his 17-year MLB career, which earned him his third Cy Young Award.
The right-hander was unanimously voted the American League winner Wednesday by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease (14-8, 2.20 ERA) finished second in the voting and Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah (16-7, 2.24 ERA) finished third; both were named on all 30 ballots.
Verlander is the 11th pitcher to win three or more Cy Young Awards, also earning the honors in 2011 and 2019. Roger Clemens won a record seven. Verlander had pitched just six innings since 2019 but dominated his opponents over 175 innings in 2022. He produced a 1.75 ERA, the lowest by an AL pitcher in a full season since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez in 2000.
The future Hall of Famer and ninetime All-Star also led the AL in wins (18), WHIP (0.83), opponent batting average (.186) and hits per nine innings (5.97). In 12 starts following a Houston loss, he went 9-0 with a 1.11 ERA.
Verlander’s 220 adjusted ERA and 0.829 WHIP also ranked best in the majors.