Astros’ Justin Verlander wins second AL Cy Young Award, but this one is even sweeter – USA TODAY

This is the award he badly craved, making no secret of how fulfilling it might per chance possibly well be, and in fact – how mighty he in fact believed he deserved it.

It took eight years to intention cessation his second American League Cy Younger Award, but this one used to be the sweetest for Justin Verlander, earning the distinction when most pitchers his age are retired or washed up.

Verlander, 36, became the oldest pitcher to intention cessation the Cy Younger award since 42-year-ancient Roger Clemens in 2004.

“It would mean plenty to me,’’ Verlander urged USA TODAY Sports in September. “No longer correct because of the my age, but having passed via being on the tip of my game, to going down and being rupture, and having people depend me out, to getting aid to the keep I’m now.

“It presents me some level of view. I’m playing it extra. No longer correct the age, but having passed via at being atop of my game to going down and being rupture, and having people depend me out, to the total exhausting work to getting aid to the keep I’m now.

“All of that does enable me to respect the success a runt bit.’’

And, yes, there might per chance be the revenge part. He believes he ought to absorb won the award final year, too, as another of Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay. He thought he used to be robbed three years within the past when Boston Crimson Sox starter Rick Porcello won the Cy Younger award when he done second, prompting future companion’s Kate Upton’s accepted Twitter observation.

“A few those years rupture plenty,’’ Verlander says.

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Verlander, 21-6, 2.48 ERA, and Cole, 20-5, 2.50 ERA, became the basic teammates to enact first and second within the Cy Younger urge since Hall of Famer Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Verlander and Cole also joined Johnson and Schilling because the finest teammates to attain 300 strikeouts within the identical season.

Verlander obtained 17 of 30 first-area votes, with the varied 13 going to Cole.

And their ancient Astros teammate, Charlie Morton, finishing third, pitching his first season with the Tampa Bay Rays.

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Verlander, who had three Cy Younger runner-up finishes since a hit the Cy Younger and AL MVP awards in 2011 with the Detroit Tigers, led the AL in victories, opponents’ batting moderate (.172), innings pitched (223), and WHIP (0.80). He also became the oldest pitcher since Johnson in 2004 to throw a no-hitter, the third of his profession on Sept. 1, towards the Toronto Blue Jays. Easiest Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan (7) and Sandy Koufax (4) absorb extra no-hitters.

An ancient-college pitcher, Verlander is an outlier in on the present time’s game. For those that set a quiz to him what statistics he loves, it’s unruffled victories. It’s unruffled earned-bustle moderate. It’s unruffled innings.

“I mediate wins are well-known,’’ Verlander says. “You keep a quiz to any initiating pitcher. You exit there and pitch seven innings, quit three runs and lose, you don’t feel as correct as you attain at the same time as you quit three runs in seven innings and intention cessation. As mighty as people wish to distressed a long way from the wins and losses, it positively manner one thing to us.

“I started to amass a correct assortment of them. It comes with being wholesome, throwing 200 innings, being accessible to your personnel, covering the extra innings your bullpens doesn’t absorb to. For those that attain that, that’s the fashion you win those extra wins.

“That’s the fashion you win 13 to 15 wins as another of 10. That’s the fashion you win 17 to 20 wins as another of 13 to 15. Those extra innings, those matter.’’

Verlander, who has pitched at least 200 innings in all but one season since his rookie year, also takes corpulent bask within the amount of innings he pitches every year. He has lead the basic leagues four instances, including this season.

“It is probably you’ll well well most definitely’t set a bunch on it on yarn of oldsters can’t quantify how treasured it’s,’’ Verlander says. “True saving the bullpen, the affect those extra innings absorb, and what which manner.” 

In repeat so that you simply can transfer unbiased a runt extra progressed, Verlander says, he loves WHIP. He had the third-lowest lowest WHIP by a initiating pitcher since 1900, trailing finest Pedro Martinez in 2000 (0.74) and Walter Johnson (0.77) in 1913.

“I mediate WAR is a delicate fickle number for initiating pitchers, but the WHIP, that’s our job, to restrict baserunners,’’ Verlander says. “The batting moderate towards is a good stat, but within the event you’re strolling three or four batters per 9 innings, the fashion batters now depend a success as correct as a dawdle for OPS, those walks might per chance well well as properly be hits.’’

This season used to be correct another web page in his Hall of Standing résumé, changing into finest the 18th pitcher in to attain 3,000 strikeouts. He reached that milestone within the fifth-quickest amount of games ever.

And isn’t it ironic that within the year Verlander used to be the most outspoken pitcher about baseballs being juiced this season – giving up nearly twice as many residence runs (36) than all the device via his final Cy Younger season (19) – he unruffled used to be the acceptable within the American League.

Verlander would favor to topple one extra barrier earlier than he retires, proving, yes, that it undoubtedly is probably for a pitcher to unruffled intention cessation 300 games.

He has 225 victories, and would absorb to pitch till he’s at least 40 to attain the feat, but it’s on his bucket list.

“Of us can advise no matter they need,’’ Verlander says, “but I’m correct going to take my head down and build pitching. There’s a lot of work on the aid of the scenes. I attain mighty extra work now than I ever did earlier than. It’s now not correct within the gym sweating my ass off, it’s the maintenance, luminous my body, and persistently roughly adapting and altering.

“I don’t know if I’m in a position to attain it or now not, but I’m definite the hell going to investigate cross-take a look at.’’

Discover Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale