Justin Verlander added to the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations with a celebration of his own: the Astros ace was able to throw for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery a little over five months ago.
Verlander shared video of his milestone first pitch on his various social media platforms.
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Ceremonial first pitch after surgery. Let’s goooooo!! Happy St pattys day. pic.twitter.com/4H1iX4cISr
— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) March 17, 2021
Recovery time for Tommy John surgery is usually 12 to 14 months, so Verlander is still expected to miss most, if not all, of this upcoming season with the Astros.
Before undergoing the surgery on Sept. 30, Verlander was not only the Astros’ top pitcher, but arguably the best in the league. He won the American League Cy Young Award as the league’s best pitcher in 2019 after leading the league in wins and innings pitched, among other categories. The righthander finished second in the AL Cy Young Award voting in 2018.
For his career, Verlander is a two-time Cy Young winner, an eight-time All-Star, he was named AL MVP in 2011, he has thrown three career no-hitters, and has a career record of 226-129 with a 3.33 ERA.