If not for his recent failures, Justin Verlander’s name is written in golden letters in MLB history. The former Houston Astros star has completed 18 years in the MLB. Having won everything in his illustrious career, Verlander’s name is among the elite list of players. Given Verlander’s success, the world expects him to make it to the Hall of Fame.
But the current season has not progressed to the liking of the 2022 World Series winner. One can imagine how poor Justin has been this season that even his younger brother, who is an MLB analyst, smacked him in a friendly game. Imagine being a 2-time Cy Young Award winner and getting smacked by an analyst!
Justin Verlander loses out to his brother Ben
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Justin Verlander, after completing his MLB duties, had a contest with his MLB brother, Ben Verlander. Notably, Ben works with MLB as an analyst and is known for his top work at the office. Given he has analyzed his brother often, he used his learning in the contest to hit it out of the park. Though many may not know, before becoming an analyst, Ben was a baseball player. He played five years for the Tigers organization, majorly minor league baseball.
As Ben is not a professional baseball player anymore, it was a big moment for him. He reflected it in his Instagram post that read, “Will I be in the HOF one day as a player? Nope. Will I forever be 1 for 1 with a homer off of my brother? Yup.”
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The post got attention from baseball fans, who added more to the conversation. Addressing it as priceless, one fan wrote, “Going yard on your future HOF brother and having this moment to hold over him forever is PRICELESS.” Other fans gave similar reactions as one replied, “This is awesome. I have 4 boys and know how competitive brothers are! And still, his smile – well done! Great memory.”
It was certainly a great brotherly moment between the two Verlander. Though on the competitive side, it indicates Verlander needs to address a few shortcomings to turn over his season.
A tough test awaits Justin as the Mets prepare for the playoffs battle
The start was not great for Justin since he signed a two-year contract worth $86,666,666 with the Mets. Given his age, everyone wondered about the cost. Many claimed it would backfire. And his performance in the season has further added to the fans’ rejection. In 13 games, Justin holds a win-loss record of 3-5. He has claimed only 63 strikeouts at a WHIP of 1.23 and an ERA of 3.72.
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His record is not up to the mark, which the Mets would need to make it to the playoffs as they trail it by 7.5 games. Though with better results in the last three games, Verlander is looking sharper and could improve over it to be back at his best. Will he be able to do so? Only time will tell.
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