HOUSTON – He could have been a Dodger. He could have been a Cub. He could have been a Yankee. But that isn’t how life turned out for Justin Verlander.



There are trades that work and trades that don’t, trades that fizzle and trades that sizzle. But you know what the trade that sent Justin Verlander to Houston did? It changed the baseball world. That’s all.



We know that now, 13 months and one week after the midnight deal that made Verlander an Astro on Aug. 31, 2017. We know it altered the fate of his franchise. It’s fascinating to ponder how it also might have altered the fate of the franchises that said, “No, thanks,” and watched him lead the Astros to the parade floats.



And on a Friday afternoon in October, on the kind of afternoon he lives for, Verlander did more than merely pitch the Astros to a 7-2 thumping of the Indians in Game 1 of their American League Division Series. He taught us two valuable...