CINCINNATI — Justin Verlander would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he retired tomorrow. He’s done just about all there is for a starting pitcher to do in this game. Rookie of the Year. MVP. Two World Series titles. Three Cy Young Awards. But there is one major box he’s yet to check: 300 wins.
It’s improbable, without doubt; Verlander is 42-years-old, the oldest active player in baseball, and stands 38 wins away. But he showed on Saturday afternoon at Great American Ball Park that his ambitions aren’t impossible, tossing five innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts in his Giants debut. After being saddled with the no-decision, unable to protect a two-run lead as the Giants (1-1) lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2, he’ll have to wait until the home opener to inch closer to history.
“Ultimately, my guys gave me a two-run lead and I would have liked to have been able to hold that,” said Verlander, the oldest pitcher to appear in a game for the Giants since 46-year-old Randy Johnson in 2009. “I usually try to take a pretty objective view of my performance — good or bad. I think this was okay. It wasn’t great, but definitely a step forward from last season.”
Performance aside, Verlander’s underlying metrics looked much more encouraging compared to last season, particularly with his four-seam fastball. Along with throwing his fastball 0.6 mph harder than a year ago, Verlander saw an uptick in his spin rate, too. Verlander averaged 2395 RPMs (revolutions per minute) last year, but was up to 2459 RPMs against the Reds, a noteworthy increase given that higher spin rate fastballs create more backspin and don’t drop as much as expected. His curveball also exhibited three more inches of horizontal movement compared to last year, a continuation of what he did in spring training.
“He looked good,” said manager Bob Melvin. “His pitch count got up after the last inning a little bit. Gives up two runs, leaves the game and we’re in a tie game, so he did his job.”
Following an excellent spring, Verlander looked as advertised in the first inning, retiring the side in the first inning with two strikeouts, ending the frame by freezing Elly De La Cruz with a payoff curveball. He encountered a bit of trouble in the second when the Reds (1-1) put runners on first and second with one out, but escaped unscathed.
By the bottom of the third, Verlander’s 263rd win looked within reach. Wilmer Flores, fresh off hitting the go-ahead, three-run home run on Opening Day, hit his second homer in as many games, a line drive that scraped over the left-field fence. Jung Hoo Lee, who drew two crucial walks in the season opener, collected his first hit and RBI of the year in the third, pulling a single into right field to drive in Heliot Ramos. The two-run cushion wouldn’t last.
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