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Among pitchers who have made at least six World Series starts, Verlander has the second worst ERA at 5.73. Only Carl Erskine, who pitched for the Dodgers in the 1950’s has a worse ERA at 5.84. The superficial Detroit sports media, which has assisted in the Tigers’ “rebuild” fraud, has already, glibly, appointed Verlander to the Hall of Fame.
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The WS record is the only black mark on a great career; In 15 years JV already has 225 Wins, 3.33 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 3,006 Strikeouts, Has led the league at least once in Wins, Starts, Innings Pitched, ERA, Complete Games, Strikeouts, ERA+, Hits per 9, Factor in 8 All-Star Games, 1 Cy Young possibly 2, 3 times runnerup, and a 3rd place finish, 1 MVP, 3 No-hitters, and a 70.9 WAR. Slam dunk HOF.
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Speaking of strikeouts he’s a three-time Major League strikeout champion, two-time A.L. strikeout champion, two 1-hitters (would’ve had four no-hitters by now but Josh Harrison broke one up as a Pirate – gee, thanks.) He’s also got 200 postseason strikeouts which I believe is a record now. He will be a first ballot HOF’er. His 0-5 WS record, albeit a blemish, will mean nothing when it comes to his Hall vote.
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I hope the Astros tie the series, only because I think it could shape up to be a real classic. Game 5 would be Cole vs Scherzer, then Game 6 JV vs. Strasburg. It might be a real chance for redemption. As Ron said so well above, I think JV’s place in the HOF is already secured. If he has 3-4 more really good seasons he might end up with 300 wins, which we may not see again the way the game is trending.
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And a very decent shot at 4,000 strikeouts. He’s 994 away.
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I said potentially if it continues from the aspect of the number of votes he will get when he goes into the HOF, which I believe he will on the first ballot after eligibility. I think there is some status and personal satisfaction garnered based on the number of ballots awarded, and there will always be some sportswriters who won’t vote for him because of his post-season record. Overall I think he is a shoo-in for the Hall.
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Pitcher wins are subject to his team also hitting, an 0 – 5 record isn’t bad if his ERA is maybe 3.50 or lower. But like Sly noted, it’s the ERA that sticks out like a sore thumb, along with a slightly average 1.24 WHIP and averaging less than 6 innings per start. That said, his overall career stats are so good that the WS stats won’t affect HoF chances. But those stats would have killed Jack Morris’ shot as part of his resume was his WS pitching.
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Ted Williams had a terrible World Series record. So did Ty Cobb. It happens.
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All you have to do is check Verlander’s career statistics with those in the HOF. For example, compare JV to ex-Tiger Jim Bunning. ERA…JV: .333, JB: .327; W / L… JV: 225-129, JB: 224-184; Ks…JV: 3,006, JB: 2,855; Walks: JV: 850, JB: 1,000. Plus Justin still has two years to reach Bunning’s 17.
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If the long delay in enshrining Jack Morris — who won 254 games in his career, was 7-0 in post-season games, and won World Series championships with two different teams — is any indication, JV’s post-season record should have no bearing on his being enshrined.
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The No Hitters put him in a very elite and exclusive company of Hall of Famers. Only a very small group have 3. He will look very good compared to his contemporaries in another 15 years. His longevity (as long as there is no PED evidence) is a plus for HOF. His world series lack of domination is not evidence of a lack of domination over the league. He is always playing against the best of the best in the World Series. I would not expect his numbers to be the same. Is he the best ever., Certainly not but he has demonstrated Hall of Fame credentials.
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