JUSTIN VERLANDER
Justin Brooks Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball. He has also played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers. From Manakin-Sabot in Virginia, Verlander attended Old Dominion University and played college baseball for the Monarchs.
He was born in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia on February 20, 1983 to Richard and Kathy Verlander. After graduating from Old Dominion University, he was drafted in 2004 by the Detroit Tigers. He made his MLB debut in 2005. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2006. In 2011 he threw his first career no-hitter against the Blue Jays and won MVP that year.
Verlander has been nominated for several awards such as: Cy Young Award, Sporting News Player of the Year, Associated Press Athlete of the Year, Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, MLB wins leader, Strikeouts leader, and ERA leader.
In 2017 he became a world champion when his team won Game 7 against LA Dodgers 5-1!