Opposition research: Justin Verlander

Even a future Hall of Famer can’t beat Father Time

Steve Carlton is regarded by most longtime fans as the best pitcher in Phillies history. Over his 15 years with the team, he won 241 games, struck out 3031 batters, made seven All-Star teams, and won the Cy Young Award four times.

But even the best pitchers can only do it for so long before their body betrays them. In 1985, at age 40, injuries limited Carlton to just 16 starts. The following year, he returned to the team but was a shell of his former self. By the end of June, his ERA sat at 6.18, and the Phillies felt they had no choice but to release him.

Carlton signed with the Giants, but the change in scenery didn’t result in better results on the mound. In August of that year, he announced his retirement. That announcement might have been forced upon him by the Giants, because shortly after, he signed with the White Sox to resume his career. After a rough debut in Chicago, Carlton actually pitched well in the final month, providing hope that maybe his left arm still had some life left in it.

That proved to be false hope. He signed with the Indians before 1987, but once again struggled. The Indians traded him to the Twins at midseason, and by season’s end, the one-time uber ace was reduced to pitching in relief.

Carlton still wouldn’t accept it was over. He returned to the Twins in 1988, but after four appearances, his ERA was a ghastly 16.76. The Twins released him, and no other team was willing to take a chance. In 1989, at the age of 44, Carlton finally accepted his career was over, and once again announced his retirement. This time, it stuck.

Here in 2025, another future Hall of Fame pitcher is having a rough end to a great career. Like Carlton, Justin Verlander has been regarded as one of the best in baseball with multiple Cy Young Awards on his resume. And like Carlton, Verlander is pitching into his forties for different teams but not looking anywhere near his once dominant self.

At age 41, Verlander endured a rough 2024 season for the Astros, putting up a 5.48 ERA and -0.3 wins above replacement. It’s understandable that he didn’t necessarily want to go out on a season like that, so he signed with the Giants as a free agent.

This season has gone a bit better, as he’s generally been an adequate back-of-the-rotation starter. However, he has yet to earn a victory (for whatever that counts for these days), the Giants are 4-10 in his starts, he spent a month on the Injured List, and he’s coming off one of the worst starts of his career.

The Phillies face him on Wednesday. It would be terrific if they could similarly knock him around and push him one step closer to retirement.

X-Men character of the series

Magneto

In recent issues of X-Men, the once great Magneto is a shell of his former self. There was a flaw in the Krakoan resurrection process (I understand that if you don’t keep up with X-Men comics, this isn’t making much sense), and he has now come down with “resurrection sickness” that leaves him barely able to control his powers, and like his former rival, he is forced to use a wheelchair for mobility.

Additional thought about the series

There are a few stadiums that seem to give the Phillies problems every year, and perhaps the worst of them is San Francisco’s Oracle Park. The Phillies haven’t won a series there since 2013, and over the past ten seasons, they have a cumulative record of 7-24. It doesn’t matter how good either team has been, the Phillies have simply been unable to win games there.

And this year’s Giants team is pretty good, checking in with a 49-42 record, good enough for second place in the NL West. Their lineup is below average, with only one regular with an OPS over .800 (Heliot Ramos), but their pitching staff has the best team ERA in the league. The Phillies will catch a break in missing ace Logan Webb, but they will face All-Star Robbie Ray, and an excellent bullpen.

This Phillies team is capable of beating anyone when they’re at the top of their games, so I wouldn’t completely rule out a series victory. But considering they’re putting themselves at an additional disadvantage by going with a Taijuan Walker-led bullpen game on Tuesday, I wouldn’t get my hopes up.