When Verlander’s Astros teammates tossed him into a laundry cart and wheeled him through Citizens Bank Park’s visiting clubhouse for a beer-soaked shower, it might as well have been a fountain of youth. Verlander can finally claim a win in the Fall Classic, recording his elusive ‘W’ in the Astros’ 3-2 win over the Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series. “I can say I got one,” Verlander said. “It was one of the best feelings in my career. I just really love these guys. I love this team.” Wearing a bewildered expression that looked equal parts elation and exhaustion, Verlander stood in front of his locker in the moments after the final out. His pants and the club carpet were still dripping with beer. None of that was easy for Verlander, who will be 40 the next time he stands atop a mound and wanted to savor every drop. “So many people were a part of this win,” Verlander said. “They rallied around me and were almost as happy that I got the win. Just an incredible feeling. It feels great.” Verlander held the Phillies to one run with four hits in five strong innings, walking four while striking out six in a 94-pitch effort. It was the first time Verlander left a World Series game with his team leading. he was 0-6 with a 6.07 ERA in eight previous starts on the game’s biggest stage. The night started badly for Verlander, who saw Kyle Schwarber line his second pitch into the right field seats for a tying homer. That’s where Verlander’s years of experience came in handy. as he said, there was weight in the moment, but no panic. Verlander shrugged, thinking, “That sucks,” then continued to yell. “You just say, ‘OK, I’ve given up the leadoff run before,’” Verlander said. “Let’s see what happens.” Philadelphia threatened in the second inning, loading the bases on two hits by Jean Segura and Jean Segura. Catcher Martín Maldonado calmed Verlander on the mound, telling him, “Runners aren’t going anywhere. You just worry about making pitches.” Verlander rallied to plate the bases loaded, singling out Reese Hoskins swinging on a slider. That slider, responsible for so many of Verlander’s National Baseball Hall of Fame appearances, proved to be the difference maker against a Phillies lineup that seemed to sit on his fastball and refused to be fooled by his curveball. Verlander produced seven whiffs in the slider after recording none with that pitch in Game 1. “He found something,” Maldonado said. “That’s why the guy is one of the best. He is never satisfied.” “Once we started touching [the sliders] little bit, it was almost like testing the water, putting your foot in the pool and seeing how cold it is,” Verlander explained. “Once we started using them a little bit and started seeing the reactions that we usually get most of the season from hitters, that’s when I think we started to lean on it a little bit more.” Verlander induced Bryson Stott to fly out with two men on, ending the third. He would later win a 10-pitch battle against Nick Castellanos in the fifth inning, surviving Bryce Harper’s two-run double. After Castellanos’ flyout, Verlander and Baker embraced warmly in the visitors’ dugout. Baker later said that getting Verlander to go five innings to get the win “was in my heart.” Baker had drawn criticism for staying with Verlander too long in Game 1, when an early five-run lead disappeared in Houston’s 6-5, 10-inning loss. “He was in trouble there a couple of times,” Baker said. “I remember my teammate Tommy John always telling me that a good pitcher can get out of trouble twice, a great pitcher three times and a so-so pitcher maybe once. So I could hear Tommy John talking to me during the game.” It’s funny Baker brought that up, considering Verlander’s incredible recovery from the surgery that bore the former pitcher’s name, returning as a potential American League Cy Young Award winner. Retaining a $25 million player option for next season that he is expected to decline, Thursday could mark Verlander’s final start in an Astros uniform. In the hours before Game 5, Verlander had remarked that his time in Houston had been “hell.” With a win finally in his pocket and Houston heading home one win away from victory, it was also a good finish. “To have that happen on the biggest stage tonight,” Verlander said, “was pretty special.”
