12 moments that defined Verlander's career

DETROIT -- The only thing honestly left up for debate regarding Justin Verlander and the Hall of Fame is when he'll get the call, and even that timeline is only dependent upon when the lanky righty hangs up his spikes.

With an intimidating mound presence, a fierce appetite for competition and an uncanny ability to both seek out and rise to those big-game occasions, it's hard to pinpoint exactly which of Verlander's traits is most impressive ... and nearly as difficult to limit his greatest feats to a list of 12.

But hey, we tried. What follows are our choices for the top moments that helped define Verlander's career:

1) No-hitter No. 1
Verlander was just a 24-year-old sophomore in 2007, but the Brewers sure couldn't tell. On June 12, he became just the fifth pitcher in Tigers franchise history and the first since Jack Morris in 1984 to toss a no-hitter. Verlander fanned 12 during the gem -- which also marked the first home no-hitter for Detroit since 1952 -- and touched 101 mph on the radar gun ... in the ninth inning.

Despite four walks, there was only one real "gasp" moment during Verlander's 2-hour, 11-minute pursuit that night: With one out and a man on first in the eighth inning, Milwaukee's Gabe Gross stroked a ball up the middle that was snagged by shortstop Neifi Perez, who fired calmly to first to begin the inning-ending double play.

2) At the top in 2011
The finest season of Verlander's career came in 2011 when he finished 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA to become the 10th starting pitcher to win the Cy Young Award and be voted Most Valuable Player in the same season. Verlander led the AL in victories, ERA, strikeouts (250) and innings pitched (251) to snag an elusive pitching Triple Crown, with his 24 wins the most since 1990.

If the Cy Young win was expected (it was), the MVP Award was the surprise cherry on top. One week after learning he'd won the Cy, Verlander (280 points) edged out Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury (242) and Toronto's José Bautista (231) to become the first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 to raise the MVP trophy.

"I want to say [the MVP Award] is a dream come true, but I can't say that because my dream had already had come true ... to win a Cy Young," Verlander said at the time. "And the next dream is to win a World Series."

Yeah, about that ...

3) Put a ring on it
No, that's not a reference to Verlander's high-profile marriage to supermodel Kate Upton (although that ceremony did occur just three days after the dust had settled on this moment). This one is all about 2017 and the quest for his first World Series championship.

Verlander landed with Houston on Aug. 31 (via a now-famous last-minute trade that we'll discuss a little later) and wasted no time making himself comfortable in his new digs. The then-34-year-old went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five September starts to help the Astros secure an ALDS matchup against the Red Sox, then won two games as Houston took the series, 3-1.

Then, things really got good: Verlander hurled 16 innings of one-run ball in the next round to claim ALCS MVP honors as the Astros outlasted the Yankees in seven games to win the pennant. While he wasn't at his best during the final round (0-1, 3.75 ERA), Verlander had done plenty to help the Astros into the World Series, where they downed the Dodgers in seven games to win the franchise's first Fall Classic.

4) Hey, Cy (Take 2)
After fulfilling a trifecta of lofty dreams (two no-hitters, a Cy Young nod and a World Series ring), what's left to do but add to the hardware? Experiencing a career resurgence after he was traded to the Astros on Aug. 31, 2017, Verlander finished a very close second in Cy Young voting to the Rays' Blake Snell in '18.

Fire lit, Houston's ace tore through the 2019 season, finishing 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA and 300 strikeouts across 223 innings and a 0.80 WHIP that marked the second lowest in the past 100 years. He led the Majors in wins, innings pitched and batting average against (.172, seventh lowest since 1900), reached the 300-strikeout milestone for the first time and threw his third career no-hitter on Sept. 1.

For his efforts, Verlander became the 20th pitcher to claim multiple Cy Young Awards. Entering 2022, just 21 hurlers in Major League history have won the award in multiple seasons:

Roger Clemens (seven times); Randy Johnson (five); Steve Carlton and Greg Maddux (four); Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, Jim Palmer, Pedro Martinez, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer (three); Denny McLain, Bob Gibson, Gaylord Perry, Bret Saberhagen, Tom Glavine, Johan Santana, Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, Corey Kluber, Verlander and Jacob deGrom (two).

5) No-no (Take 2)
With one no-hitter already under his belt, May 7, 2011, was business as usual for Verlander ... until it wasn't. He took a perfect game into the eighth inning at Toronto, then, with one out, battled Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia for 11 pitches before walking him on pitch No. 12.

Did it all fall apart from there? Of course not. Verlander recovered to induce an inning-ending double play, then dispatched Toronto with ease in the ninth, needing just 108 pitches to become the second Detroit pitcher after Virgil Trucks to throw multiple no-hitters.

Was there ever any doubt that night? Well, maybe a little. Edwin Encarnacion's fifth-inning chopper ricocheted off Verlander's forearm, sending Verlander scrambling after the carom as Encarnacion pounded up the baseline. The throw was a little off, but first baseman Miguel Cabrera managed to stretch, deflecting the ball off his glove and into his body, where he maintained control to best Encarnacion.

Verlander later admitted the impact stiffened his arm enough that he returned to the clubhouse for treatment between innings, but no one was the wiser: The 12-pitch walk to Arencibia was the lone free pass Verlander issued.

6) All or nothing
Of all the dominant performances in Verlander's career, Oct. 10, 2013, in Game 5 of the ALDS against the A's is probably the best example of coming through when his team needed it most. It's an enormous confidence boost to have an ace on the hill in a win-or-go-home situation and Verlander took the responsibility seriously, taking a perfect game into the sixth inning. After that bid was lost, he held onto the no-hitter until Yoenis Céspedes singled to center field with two outs in the seventh.

Verlander finished with 10 strikeouts across eight scoreless frames and Miguel Cabrera crushed a two-run homer in the fourth to give the Tigers all the runs they'd need to oust Oakland and advance to the ALCS.

7) Thrice is nice
Rogers Centre will always have a special place in Verlander's heart after it was home to two of his three career no-hitters. This one, which occurred on Sept. 1, 2019, featured 14 strikeouts and marked Verlander's first no-no with the Astros.

What began with a 21-pitch first inning quickly morphed into must-see TV, with Verlander passing the 250-strikeout milestone en route to one of the most dominant no-hitters in history.

Only six pitchers in AL/NL history have three or more no-hitters: Nolan Ryan (seven), Sandy Koufax (four) and Larry Corcoran, Cy Young and Bob Feller, who each have three.

8) Only one thing missing
Verlander has two rings, a trio of no-hitters, three Cy Young nods, and AL MVP Award and countless other impressive milestones under his belt, so it might come as a shock to know that despite 35 playoff appearances, he has just one World Series win.

He got his first Fall Classic taste in 2006 as a 23-year-old rookie with the Tigers, but it wasn't until '22 -- in his age-39 season -- that Verlander captured the ever-elusive 'W' on baseball's biggest stage.

That Nov. 3 game in Game 5 against the Phillies pushed the Astros to within one win of the championship. Houston's veteran lefty relied on his experience after allowing a home run on the second pitch of the game, rebounding to toss five scoreless frames afterward despite issuing four walks.

It was the perfect way to end a five-season stretch with the Astros; Verlander's gift in his final start with the organization. He declined his player option for 2023, and packed his bags for ...

9) Bright lights, big city
Not many pitchers are still in the game at 40 years old; fewer still are competitive enough to have teams drooling over them on the free-agent market. But Verlander is far from the norm. After he winning a second World Series with the Astros, he wasn't without a home for long before the Mets swooped in to ink him to a two-year deal worth $86.7 million and included a $35 million vesting option for 2025.

The move reunited Verlander with Max Scherzer, his Tigers teammate from 2010-14. During that stretch, the duo won a combined 169 games and two American League Cy Young Awards. The signing also allowed Verlander to wax poetic on their time in Detroit.

"I can't speak for Max, but I look at that time [in Detroit], and it was two young men trying to establish their foothold in the game," he said.

Which brings us back to the beginning ...

10) Taking the stage by storm
After he was drafted second overall by Detroit in 2005, Verlander spent just 20 starts in the Minors before joining The Show for good in 2006. Hindsight being 20/20 and all, it's of little surprise that the then-22-year-old finished his first full campaign with a 17-9 record, a 3.63 ERA and 124 strikeouts to claim the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

He also led Detroit to its first World Series berth since 1984 that season, ending a long drought in Tigertown.

11) Justin 3000
A fourth-inning strikeout of the Angels' Kole Calhoun on Sept. 28, 2019, marked the 3,000th punchout of Verlander's storied career. To put a bow on his final regular-season start, Verlander fanned 12 Angels that night, sitting down Calhoun again in the sixth inning for his final K of the season. That punchout marked Verlander's 300th of the year, a career first.

Of the 19 pitchers in AL/NL history to have reached the 3,000-K milestone, 14 are in the Hall of Fame. Two, Verlander and Scherzer, are still active, and CC Sabathia won't appear on the ballot until 2025. The other two are Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens, both of whom had controversies affect their Cooperstown chances.

12) A (nearly) midnight deal
On Aug. 31, 2017, in the waning moments before the cutoff to acquire players and have them eligible for postseason rosters, the Astros and Tigers pulled off a trade that sent Detroit's ace plus $16 million to Houston in exchange for right-hander Franklin Perez, outfielder Daz Cameron and catcher Jake Rogers.

And "waning moments" is a bit of an understatement: By the time both sides agreed to terms and Verlander had made a decision (he had full no-trade rights), it was so close to the midnight deadline that Detroit's star actually opted to race down the stairs in his apartment building, for fear the elevator wouldn't deliver him to the bottom in time to sign the required paperwork held by the Tigers' front-office employee stationed outside.

"I think one of the MLB officials said they got the confirmation at 11:59:58," he later recalled.

The extra hustle was worth it: Verlander and the Astros each won their first World Series title just two months (and a couple of seconds) later.