Similar to a fine wine only getting better with age, Justin Verlander shows year in and year out that he still has it. At age 42, some believed Father Time was catching up to him and that he wouldn’t be able to produce at a high level anymore.

A disappointing 2024 season for the Houston Astros made fans question the likelihood of his return to Major League Baseball, and the idea of him hanging up his cleats seemed very realistic. That year, the 41-year-old pitcher went 5-6 over 90.1 innings, posting a career-worst 5.48 ERA and a -0.3 WAR, resulting in a 74 ERA+—about 26% below league average. For his career, a 74 ERA+ was a major outlier, as he had typically been around 30% better than the league. For a team to take a chance on him now was a significant gamble, essentially signing him for the brand of his name rather than what his future might hold.

The Giants inked Verlander to a one-year $15 million deal, essentially making him the anchor of their rotation and someone they could hopefully rely on during the stretch run. The Giants already had Logan Webb and Robbie Ray on their team, so they weren’t asking Verlander to be nothing more than an innings eater for their run to playoff contention.

As the season progressed, it looked like signing Verlander to a one-year deal was a mistake, as many fans — even Buster Posey — questioned the reasoning behind giving a 42-year-old extended playing time.

It was by far the worst stretch of baseball Justin had played and gave fans across MLB more reason than not to believe maybe 2024 was not just an outlier. From April to June, Justin Verlander had a win-loss record of 0-5, an ERA north of 5.00, and a WHIP hovering between 1.38–1.50, all in the span of 62.2 innings and 63 strikeouts. The strikeout power was still there; it just seemed like all hope was lost and that there wasn’t much to fix.

Towards mid-June, he reached historic numbers — and not in a good way. His streak of not winning extended to 12 starts and happened to be a franchise record for the Giants. However, beneath the stat line (numbers do not always tell the full story), he never allowed more than three earned runs a game since April; however, it was not enough to power himself to a win.

Inconsistent performances, untimely pitches, and struggles to find the strike zone saw a once-feared pitcher become nothing more than batting practice for most teams. If this was not a call for help, then I do not know what was.

Before turning things around, he had gone 17 starts — essentially half a season of pitching — before he recorded his first win as a Giant, going 0-8 during that time. His first Giant win came against the Braves on July 23, 2025. Ironically, it was Justin’s first win at Oracle Park since Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, back when Verlander was still a Tiger.

Flash forward eight weeks, and Justin Verlander is on fire. Although his season stats don’t look super enticing, they also don’t tell the full story. Right now, Justin Verlander has a 3-10 record, a 3.75 ERA in 27 games with 141.2 innings and 127 strikeouts, while holding batters to a 1.31 WHIP. He is also worth 1.6 WAR, if that changes anything.

Shortly after his July 23rd start is when things started to click again, and similar to my comparison to wine, he only gets better with age. He began to rapidly change his approach and started producing better contact, and the results have shown. His last start against the Diamondbacks saw him pitch 7 scoreless innings with 3 hits and 3 strikeouts. Across his past 25 innings pitched, he has only given up one earned run and has a 0.35 ERA across his previous four starts.

From reporter Sarah Langs: “It is the first time in his career Justin Verlander has allowed one or zero earned runs across a four-outing span. The only other pitcher age 42 or older to do so in a four-start span across the past 125 years was 2005 Roger Clemens. Verlander’s 2025 season and Clemens’ 2005 1.87 ERA season are certainly not in the same conversation, but it is a delight to see the high praise and success he has received so late in his long career. Also, Clemens was on steroids during that era, and Justin Verlander is the only 40+ year old pitcher to put up these numbers without cheating.

It is always fun doing a deep dive on a player of Hall of Fame caliber. Justin Verlander has been a treat to watch play baseball. Across his time with the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants, his years with the Giants might, for some, be an afterthought of disbelief. But the way he turned things around and resparked the flame in his career makes you think about how long Justin Verlander can keep putting up numbers as valuable as this.