

Few things in sports are more electrifying than a pitcher in total control. When Detroit Tigers fans buy a ticket to a Justin Verlander start, there’s an excellent chance that this is exactly what they will see. With a triple-digit fastball and three off-speed pitches he throws for strikes, the MVP and Cy Young Award winner is a no-hitter waiting to happen. Even before he gained full control of his jaw-dropping repertoire, people were saying he had Hall of Fame stuff. If Justin can log a couple more seasons like he had in 2011, his ticket’s as good as punched. This is his story… GROWING UP Justin Brooks Verlander was born on February 20, 1983 in Manakin-Sabot, a short ride from Richmond in Virginia. (Click here for a complete listing of today's sports birthdays.) Justin formed a tight-knit family with his parents Richard and Kathy and his brother Benjamin. Once when asked to name the most impressive person he ever met, Justin didn't hesitate to answer: his father. Richard was a union negotiator in the communications industry, serving as president of the Communications Workers of America. He also knew baseball, and saw tremendous potential in Justin. Indeed, from the first time the youngster picked up a ball, he seemed to be destined for greatness on the pitcher’s mound. With the help of his father, Justin developed major-league mechanics. To this day, Richard recalls a day when his son demonstrated just how strong his arm was. The elder Verlander picked up a rock and heaved it halfway across a large pond. Young Justin picked up a similar stone and, to the astonishment of his dad, cleared the pond.



When Justin was nine, he started pitching at the youth level. He had the velocity but not always the patience or control. He could fire the ball faster than any of the other kids—he just wasn’t sure where it was going. Justin walked a lot of hitters and plunked plenty of others as well. Parents complained that he was a menace on the mound. Kids on other teams sometimes refused to step into the batter’s box against him, while others became so disheartened that they quit playing entirely. After his father, Justin's hero was Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. In many ways, Justin’s ascent as a hurler followed the same path. Like the Ryan Express, the hard-throwing righty slowly but surely acquired the command he needed on his fastball and off-speed deliveries. By the time he entered Goochland High School, Justin was already varsity material. Not that this meant much in the Bulldogs baseball program. The school was not known for producing major-league talent. In fact, when Justin asked a 10th-grade friend for a loan of 50 cents, he promised to repay the money, plus one-tenth of one percent of his future pro signing bonus. Five years later, Justinwrote out an “interest” check for the amount of $3,120 in a moment that would have brought tears to Tony Soprano‘s eyes. Justin was the best pitcher in the Richmond area. As a senior in the spring of 2001, he dominated the competion throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, striking out 144 batters in 72 innings and posting a 0.38 ERA. But despite a low-90s fastball and increasingly good control, Justin failed to attract serious attention from big league scouts. With no contract in the offing, he decided to play college ball. Justin turned down a scholarship from Duke, opting instead for nearby Old Dominion University. There he proceeded to rewrite the school's record books. Justin spent three years with the Monarchs. He earned honors as the Colonial Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and was a two-time CAC All-Star. In his first year of college ball, Justin was masterful. His 1.90 ERA was the lowest in the conference, and he came within one K of the ODU mark, fanning 137 in 113.2 innings. Justin did set one strikeout record, however, when he whiffed 17 against James Madison. Named a First Team Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America, he finally began to get noticed by the baseball world. Justin was even invited to try out for Team USA. One of the keys to his success was a new lifting regimen—something he had not done in high school—which added five mph to his heater. As a sophomore in 2003, Justin went 7-6, leading the CAC with 139 strikeouts in 116 innings. He also posted a team-best 2.40 ERA. But it was the experience he picked up over the summer for Team USA that paid even bigger dividends. Pitching against powerful international squads, Justin went 5-1 with a 1.29 ERA and helped America capture the silver medal at the Pan American Games. ON THE RISE Heading into the 2004 campaign, Justin was a known—and feared—commodity throughout college baseball. Now at his full height of 6-5 and weighing more than 200 pounds, he was coming close to triple-digits on the radar gun with his fastball. Hitters in the CAC were helpless against him. He matched his frosh record by striking out 17 again against JMU, fanned 16 against Virginia Commnwealth, and sat down 10 or more seven other times. Old Dominon often saved Justin for games against nationally ranked opponents. He delivered four victories in those situations, including impressive wins over Virginia and Rutgers. Justin finished the season at 7-6 and led the conference with 151 strikeouts in 106 innings.



