The New York Mets were busy this winter on the pitching front, signing three solid veteran starters in Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana, and Kodai Senga after losing Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt.
After 101 wins during the 2022 regular season, the Mets succumbed to the San Diego Padres in the postseason.
But with Verlander and other experienced stars added to the mix, they look ready for bigger and better things.
In fact, today, February 20 is a special day for their newly-signed ace.
The three-time AL Cy Young and former MVP turns 40 years old today.
On Twitter, the Mets wished their new ace a very happy birthday.
Happy birthday, @JustinVerlander! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/jZ9zVxKVJA
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 20, 2023
Verlander burst onto the scene in 2006 with the Detroit Tigers, winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award and helping guide the team to the World Series.
From there, the right-hander only got better.
He won his first Cy Young in 2011 and also earned MVP honors.
He has been an All-Star nine times and has now won two World Series titles.
Verlander even earned ALCS MVP honors in 2017.
Needless to say, it’s been nothing short of a legendary journey for the 40-year-old right-hander.
Now, he’ll head up a stacked Mets rotation that also includes Max Scherzer, who he was teammates with from 2010-14 with the Tigers.
New York signed the veteran right-hander to a two-year, $86 million contract back in December.
He’ll look to follow up his third Cy Young season with more dominance in 2023, which will be his first season pitching in the National League instead of the American League.
