Historic number Verlander is chasing ahead of Giants home debut

SAN FRANCISCO -- Justin Verlander isn't ready to answer a question that nearly every pitcher in Major League history has not had to worry about. 

When he met with local reporters on Monday in Houston, Verlander was asked if he will go into the Hall of Fame in a Detroit Tigers or Houston Astros cap, but he said that's a bridge he will cross down the line. The fact that it even was asked was a reminder of just how different all of this is for his current franchise. 

The newest Giants starter punched that ticket to Cooperstown years ago, and now there really only are two questions that remain about his candidacy -- well, aside from the issue of the cap on his plaque. Will the voting be unanimous in a few years, and will Verlander go in as a member of the 300-win club?

Verlander, who is at 262 wins, has no control over the former, but he makes no secret of the fact that he's chasing the latter. 

"It's definitely a goal, it definitely pushes me a bit," he said on the "Giants Talk" podcast this spring. "But the fire is still there. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't. It would be different if it was like five wins away from it and it was like, 'Alright, let's go back out there for another season.' But it's still a ways off. 

"I have that drive. I want to put in the work that's necessary. And I still have fun."

That last part was clear in Houston, where Verlander pitched for seven seasons and won two rings and two Cy Youngs. 

He was late to his media session because he was busy working on things in the visiting bullpen. Before throwing, Verlander caught up with former teammate Jose Altuve, and he spent plenty of time the next two days exchanging handshakes and hugs in the outfield during batting practice. 

Verlander won 73 games in Houston, which only is about a quarter of his career total, but still is a staggering number for most of his teammates. Landen Roupp and Hayden Birdsong, the two young starters on staff, have combined for six career wins, and Birdsong quickly shook his head when asked if starters in the minors are even having conversations about historic win totals these days. 

"No," he said. "Not at all.” 

Robbie Ray is just five ahead of Verlander's Houston total for his entire 12-year career. Logan Webb broke through in 2021 and has been one of the best pitchers in baseball ever since, but his victory on Tuesday night only got him to 56.

Webb is a throwback, and a two-time NL innings leader, but he still is part of a different generation, one that has learned to not care as much about the "pitcher win." 

He still aims to go nine every time out, but he knows the way starting pitchers are evaluated has changed over the last decade. When Webb finished second in Cy Young voting two years ago, he won 11 games. Blake Snell, the Cy Young, won 14. 

"He's probably going to be one of, it not the last guy, to have a shot at it," Webb said of Verlander. "It's just maybe the way the game is going, but it's cool to see him try to get that. I know he's very motivated to do that and wants to play three or four more years to be part of that club, which is a very exclusive club. It's a cool thing for him and a cool thing for us to see him try and chase that. I think he has the same aspirations that he had when he was 28 years old."

Verlander, who turned 42 this spring, took a no-decision in his first start with the Giants. When he toes the rubber for the home opener on Friday, he'll be 38 wins away from becoming the 25th player to win 300 games in the big leagues. Perhaps there will be some change to the rules or the game, or some extreme outlier years down the line, but at the moment, it seems Verlander will be the last to ever take a shot at joining the club. Even getting to 200 seems out of reach these days.

The active wins leader after Verlander is Max Scherzer, who is at 216 and just went on the IL after the first start of his 19th season. After that is Clayton Kershaw (212), who also is on the IL and likely to retire in the next year or two. After those three, there's a long drop to Gerrit Cole (153), who is 34 years old and just had Tommy John surgery. No active pitcher under 30 even has 100 career wins. 

"I guess you could see it happening," Verlander said. "Every generation kind of has been pushing in that direction. Heck, I might be the last one to 250. It's just crazy how the game has changed for starting pitching."

Verlander won 124 games before his 30th birthday and had a 21-win season as a 36-year-old and 18-win season as a 39-year-old. The pace has slowed as he has dealt with injuries in his forties, but he's healthy now and confident that a bounceback season is coming.

At 5-1, the Giants look like they might give Verlander more chances for a "W" than most anticipated, and Bob Melvin is well aware of what the number means to his No. 2 starter. You can bet he will have it in mind at times if Verlander is close to qualifying for a win, and Webb said the manager isn't alone. 

"We do want to try to win as many games as we can, but for us, just watching Justin try to get to 300 is the coolest thing," Webb said. "And I know the guys in here -- the position players and the relievers -- they want to help him get there, too."

Even in the most optimistic scenario, Verlander will need three or more seasons to get a shot at 300. He picked up 13 wins in 27 starts two years ago, and he has made no secret of the fact he believes he can pitch into his mid-forties.

Verlander already is the oldest active player in the four major professional sports, and he doesn't intend to stop anytime soon. That was part of the appeal for president of baseball operations Buster Posey, who texted Verlander a message after the one-year deal became official this offseason. 

"Wouldn't it be something if you won your 300th game in a Giants uniform."

As he thought this spring about his entire 20-year career and what's ahead, Verlander kept coming back to that text and the unpredictability of baseball. He doesn't know what's ahead, but he knows what he's chasing. 

"It just really stuck out to me," he said of Posey's text. "You just never know where this game takes you, and wouldn't that be something."

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