Lakeland, Fla. – This isn’t a milestone chase for Justin Verlander, be clear on that.
“I don’t pitch for accolades,” he said Thursday in his welcome back to Detroit press conference.
The only thing he’s chasing is the one thing that eluded him in his first go-round with the Tigers – a World Series championship.
“I pride myself on taking the ball, trying to be healthy and going out every five days and give us the best chance to win,” he said. “And things just kind of happen when you do that for a long time and accolades happen.”
Oh yeah, they happen. Three Cy Young awards, an MVP, a pitcher’s Triple Crown, two World Series rings, 266 wins and 3,553 strikeouts (both most by an active player), and three no-hitters.
There’s not a whole lot left for him to actually chase, though he does admit getting into the 300-win club would put a nice bow around his Hall of Fame career.
“Obviously, it’s something I’d love to accomplish,” he said. “Last year made it difficult, only getting four wins.”
He’d be a lot closer had he not missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery. And injuries cost him a lot of starts the last two seasons, as well, when he earned only nine wins.
“I know it’s not going to be simple,” he said. “Even going into last year I knew it would be a year-by-year thing. Like if something catastrophic happened (a major injury), I am not going to go back and do a surgery.
“I am going to do everything I can to pitch successfully and give us a chance to win. Hopefully log a lot of innings and take the ball 30-plus times and let the chips fall where they may. If I’m feeling good and I feel like I’m able to do it again, rinse and repeat.”
Verlander signed a one-year deal with the Tigers worth $13 million with $11 million deferred until 2030. So there seems to be an opening to re-up for another year, if it plays out that way. He said Thursday that he’d always figured he could pitch until he was 45.
But first things first.
“My focus with Justin was entirely on what he can do to help us win on the mound,” manager AJ Hinch said. “He and I have history and he has an even deeper history here in Detroit. From a pure influence standpoint, my conversation with him was, here is the organization as it is today. Here’s how you can help us win.
“You’re coming to a team that has learned how to win. We need a little bump to take us a step forward.”
Verlander is on board for that.
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: This isn’t a milestone chase for Verlander, but getting 300 wins is tantalizing
Reporting by Chris McCosky, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
