SAN FRANCISCO — It took a season-high 121 pitches, but Justin Verlander got his third win with the Giants on Sunday afternoon.
The 42-year-old collected 10 strikeouts over five innings as the Giants closed out their six-game homestand with a 13-2 rout of the Orioles at Oracle Park.
Verlander worked around traffic on the basepaths in every inning before striking out the side in the top of the fourth. Even with 94 pitches thrown through the first four frames, Verlander was right back out there for the top of the fifth.
The right-hander got leadoff batter Daniel Johnson to ground out, but once again found himself in a jam after walking Jackson Holliday and allowing a single by Jeremiah Jackson. Even as his workload surged past his previous season-high of 104 pitches (on April 15 at Philadelphia), Verlander stayed on the mound and buckled down.
Verlander leaned on his offspeed stuff, keeping Gunnar Henderson off balance with a mix of his slider, changeup and curveball before freezing him with a fastball at the knees for a called strike three and the second out. He then started Ryan Mountcastle off with a fastball that was fouled off for strike one, before getting a called strike on the sweeper and getting the O’s first baseman to chase a changeup inside to end the inning.
It was the 73rd time Verlander reached double-digit strikeouts in a game, his first since Oct. 4, 2022. At 42 years, 192 days, he’s the oldest pitcher to fan 10 or more in a game since Randy Johnson did it on Aug. 22, 2008 at 44 years, 347 days old.
The only other pitchers at Verlander’s age or older to accomplish the feat in the last 125 years are a who’s who of all-timers: Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, and Gaylord Perry.
