Verlander Gets 100th Win, On The Way To ...
CLEVELAND -- It's a long way from 100 to 300.
But as Justin Verlander said Thursday night, "You have to get to 100 if you're going to get to 300."
And if you're going to get to 300 wins, it sure does help to get to 100 when you're 27 or 28 years old. Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux got there when they were 27 (as did CC Sabathia). Tom Glavine and Nolan Ryan got there when they were 28.
Verlander, baseball's newest 100-game winner, turned 28 in February.
And yes, he could get to 300 (as could Sabathia).
"He's got a legitimate shot," Tiger manager Jim Leyland said.
"I don't think there's any question," pitching coach Jeff Jones agreed.
Verlander thinks so, too.
He downplayed the meaning of 100 wins, because he understood that the significance of Thursday's 4-3 win over the Indians was that it gave the Tigers a three-game lead over Cleveland in the American League Central.
But Verlander is as driven as any pitcher I've ever been around. And as much as he wants to win for the team, personal goals are a big part of what drives him.
"I think of the big picture," he admitted Thursday. "I've made no secret that my No. 1 goal is to get to the Hall of Fame."
And, as he said, 300 wins would pretty much assure that.
Can he get there?
Absolutely he can, if he stays healthy (and Verlander's durability has been among his strengths).
Thursday's win was Verlander's 17th of the year (he's the first in the majors to 17). It's the third straight year he has won at least 17, and the fifth time in his six full big-league seasons.
With seven innings Thursday, Verlander is at 195 for the season. He'll top 200 for the fifth straight year (after the Tigers basically kept him from it as a rookie).
He stays in games, limiting the risk that the bullpen will fail to hold a lead, and increasing the possibility that his team will give him a lead in the late innings of a close game.
And he pitches to win.
"At one point in his career, I think he wanted to strike people out," Jones said. "Now he just pitches to win. Look at his no-hitter [in Toronto], where he only struck out four."
If he pitches until he's 40, Verlander would need to average 16-17 wins a season to reach 300. That's not easy, but with his stuff, his drive and his durability, it's far from impossible.
As Leyland said, he has a legitimate shot.
