Giants’ Justin Verlander Joins 3,500 Strikeout Club, Aims to Continue Playing in 2026
Future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Justin Verlander became just the 10th hurler in baseball history to join the 3,500 strikeout club during Sunday’s series finale against the Washington Nationals.
Verlander, who entered the contest three strikeouts shy of reaching the historic milestone, wasted little time by punching out the side in the first inning to achieve the monumental feat. He became the first pitcher to cross that threshold since Randy Johnson – who ranks second all-time in strikeouts (4,875), behind only Nolan Ryan (5,714) – in 2002.
The 42-year-old starter finished with six strikeouts on the day, increasing his career total to 3,503, putting him six behind Walter Johnson for ninth all-time. He should have an excellent chance to surpass him down the stretch, perhaps as early as his next start.
“I was happy to get there, happy to have the moment with the fans,” Verlander told reporters, including MLB.com’s Maria Guardado, following Sunday’s 8-0 defeat. “It’s a cool milestone. I really appreciate what it’s taken to get there.”
While Verlander’s historic performance at Oracle Park started well, he struggled to maintain that momentum, surrendering five runs (all earned) on 11 hits – including a two-run home run from Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams – and one walk across five innings, a mark he’s reached in four consecutive starts.
The disappointing outing pushed Verlander’s ERA to 4.53 through 20 starts this season, with his FIP sitting a bit lower at 4.17. It’s been an up-and-down year for the veteran right-hander, who signed a one-year deal worth $15 million last winter.
But by the sounds of it, the nine-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young winner hopes to continue playing beyond this season.
“At this point in my career, if something goes really wrong, I’m not going to rehab a surgery or anything,” Verlander said pre-game to John Shea of The San Francisco Standard. “I always understand that it could be it, but I think physically, I’ve shown some good health this season. As I’ve been on the mound, things have started to get better and better. To me, that’s a good sign with all the work I put in after my nerve injury last year, which notoriously takes a long time. “
“The ball’s rolling in the right direction, and I would like to continue pitching. You never know. It’s a fickle game too, but I think the stuff is still there.”
Health will likely be the biggest factor in Verlander’s decision to continue his playing career in 2026. He largely avoided the injured list in ‘25, except for a month-long stint earlier this season due to a neck injury.
Still, he’s been much healthier than compared to a season ago, when he only made 17 starts due to a nerve injury, limiting him to just 90.1 total innings – which he’s already surpassed this year, amassing 99.1 innings with the Giants.
Walks have been amongst the main issues for Verlander, who’s recorded the highest walk rate (8.1 percent) of his career since 2017 (8.5 percent). It also hasn’t helped that he’s posted one of the lowest strikeout rates (19.6 percent) of his 20 major league seasons.
As long as he remains relatively healthy, though, it’d be tough to imagine him not returning for his 21st campaign next season – whether that’s with San Francisco or another franchise.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.