CINCINNATI — Logan Webb was eight-years-old when Justin Verlander made his major-league debut on July 4, 2005. He doesn’t remember much about his life at the time, only that he was on summer vacation. An A’s fan growing up, Webb dreaded watching Verlander torment his childhood team during the playoffs.
“I didn’t like him for a couple days,” Webb said with a smile.
Now teammates, that disdain has long faded. Come Saturday, Webb will get to sit back and enjoy Verlander’s first start as a Giant, the beginning of the latest chapter in a Hall of Fame career.
“I’m very excited to see him,” said Webb, who made his fourth straight Opening Day start in Thursday’s 6-4 win over the Reds at Great American Ballpark. “I’ll probably stay away from him on Saturday. I’ve heard from him that he’s pretty serious on the days he pitches.
“(I’m) excited to see him do his thing as just a baseball fan — not just his teammate, as a baseball fan, I’m excited to watch Justin Verlander throw.”
Verlander, 42, is at a far different point in his career compared to his days of carving up the A’s. His path to Cooperstown has long been solidified, his resumé featuring an MVP, three Cy Young Awards and nine All-Star selections. Verlander’s 262 wins are the most of any active player, and given how the game has evolved, he might be the last pitcher in quite some time with a chance at 300.
For all he’s done, Verlander, the game’s oldest active player, is coming off the worst season of his career. Over 90 ⅓ innings, Verlander posted a 5.48 ERA, a performance that was due in large part to various injuries. Despite Verlander’s age and struggles, the Giants signed him to a one-year, $15 million dollar deal.
The signing evoked memories of San Francisco signing Randy Johnson for the 2009 season, which ended up being the last of his career. But as Verlander said upon signing, his passion to pitch — and pitch at a high level — has not faded.
“The fire is still burning,” Verlander said in December.
“You don’t get to the level of greatness that he’s accomplished in his career without having the utmost fortitude and desire to be the best,” said president of baseball operations Buster Posey, whose Giants swept Verlander’s Tigers in the 2012 World Series. “When I think about pitchers of this generation, to me, Justin’s at the top.”
Verlander has been an invaluable resource for the Giants’ next generation of young pitchers. When Hayden Birdsong threw one of his first bullpens of spring, for example, Verlander stood right behind the 23-year-old and provided instant feedback. But as Posey has pointed out, Verlander isn’t just here to teach.
“I’ve even seen in the media so far all the value add that he’s going to bring with the younger arms. That’s most definitely true. We believe that. But first and foremost, we all see this guy pitching at the top of the rotation and being very, very good,” Posey said.
For Verlander, the biggest key to being very, very good is simple: health.
Verlander was never truly healthy in his last season with the Houston Astros. He dealt with a right shoulder injury that kept him off the Opening Day roster. He landed on the injured list in June due to neck discomfort, an ailment that afflicted him for years.
So, when Verlander was asked to assess his spring following his final Cactus League start, he pointed out that he was healthy. Then turned to his wooden locker and emphatically knocked twice.
“That was the biggest thing I would want coming out of this,” Verlander said last week. “That being number one, I’m happy. I thought the stuff has been trending in the right direction.”
In Arizona, Verlander proved that his ambitions to pitch until he’s at least 45-years-old aren’t far-fetched. Over five starts, Verlander had a 3.43 ERA with 19 strikeouts over 21 innings. Excluding his last start, one where Verlander “threw some pitches in situations that I shouldn’t have,” Verlander had a 1.69 ERA over 16 innings. Results aside, Verlander just flat out looked good.
“When I caught veteran pitchers, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had an eight ERA and then he came into the season and was in a really good spot still,” Posey said. “But man, the guy was working his tail off every single day. The competitor in him showed through even in spring, and he had a great spring.”
Verlander only made one start all spring in a ballpark with Statcast capabilities, that being on Mar. 17 against the Chicago White Sox. The sample size of data is small, but the metrics were promising as Verlander threw five scoreless innings.
The right-hander averaged 94.3 mph on his four-seam fastball, up from 93.5 mph last season. There was also noticeably more horizontal movement on his curveball, a change he actively worked on during spring training. Last season, Verlander’s curveball averaged about seven inches of horizontal movement. Against the White Sox, the curveball averaged 10 inches of horizontal movement.
“I’m my greatest critic, so there are some things I think still need to be cleaned up, but overall, I think a lot of the mechanical adjustments I made in the offseason are having the intended results,” Verlander said following that start. “I feel like I’m moving better. Some execution stuff, some nit picky things are there, but overall, very pleased.”
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Worth noting
Jung Hoo Lee drew two walks in the Giants’ Opening Day win. It was just the second time in his career that he’s drawn multiple walks in the same game.
Webb only threw nine changeups against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, but attributed the low usage to Great American Ball Park having a flatter mound compared to other stadiums. The right-hander also threw 13 cutters; last season, Webb threw more than five cutters on only five occasions.
Willy Adames, who signed a franchise-record seven-year, $182 million contract this offseason, went 0-for-4 in his Giants debut with three strikeouts.