The game was played again wearing the Houston Astros uniform. It was surprisingly familiar and still strong.
Verlander, who left Houston this season after signing a two-year, $86 million contract with the New York Mets, returned to Texas on the 2nd (Korean time) after a trade between the Mets and the Houston Astros. It was a return to the home team that had played since mid-2017 and won two championship rings.
Verlander returned to the mound as a Houston pitcher 275 days after Game 5 of the World Series on November 4 last year in a game against the New York Yankees held at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York on the 6th. Like Verlander, who is strong against the Yankees, he pitched well with 7 hits, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks and 2 runs in 7 innings, but the team lost 1-3 and became a losing pitcher.
In the bottom of the second inning, Verlander hit Isaiah Keener-Faleppa with a double by Harrison Bader, then allowed an RBI sacrifice fly to Antithey Volpi on second and third base. In the top of the third inning, José Altuve’s solo shot made it 1-1, but the team’s scoring support ended there. Verlander gave up the final solo shot to Jake Bauer after one out in the fifth inning. Then, in the bottom of the 8th, Glaber Torres hit a wedge home run.
When Verlander got a hit after two outs in the bottom of the 7th inning, Houston manager Dusty Baker headed to the mound from Aaron Judge’s plate. But Verlander said he wants to throw more. Any other manager would have worried, but Baker had worked with Verlander last season, so he knew him well and left him on the mound. Verlander completed the 7th inning game by handling the second baseman’s fly ball in 2 pitches. Apart from the defeat, it was a meaningful start.안전놀이터
“It was against one of the best hitters in the world, and I didn’t even throw 110 pitches, so I said I could,” Verlander said in an interview with Major League Baseball’s official website after the game. Verlander’s pitches that day totaled 97 pitches.
Verlander received two Cy Young Awards (2017, 2022) and won two Wood Series championships (2019, 2022) with Houston. In 2019, he even achieved his third career no-hit no-run. Because of the memory, Verlander waived the no-trade clause and headed to Houston.
“It’s strangely familiar,” said Verlander, who said on his first appearance after the trade, “It’s only been three months since I missed a month with an injury. I love my teammates and it’s fun to play with them again.”
Houston infielder Jose Altuve also shared his impressions of reuniting with a former teammate, saying, “I don’t think Verlander has ever left.” “The culture we’ve built on the team over the last five or six years means a lot,” Verlander said. We are showing leadership to young players,” he said, expressing his affection and pride for Houston.
Meanwhile, before this day, Verlander’s career record against the Yankees was 8-1 with an ERA of 1.82 in 13 games. Torres, the Yankees infielder who took down archrival Verlander, said, “Finally we did it. Verlander threw really well. He’s a Hall of Fame booker. We always had a hard time knocking him down. So we tried to attack quickly and miss out on a few chances. When I came, I scored well,” he said with satisfaction.