Verlander: I want to pitch 'until they rip the jersey off me'

Houston Astros veteran Justin Verlander is coming off one of the great comeback seasons of all time and has no plans to slow down.

"I just want to play until they rip the jersey off me," the two-time Cy Young winner said during his press availability Tuesday prior to the American League Championship Series kicking off. "I'm not going to be out there making a fool of myself, don't get me wrong. It's just the way I've always envisioned it. You see the greats of the past and those guys pitched to their 40s. It was never a question in my mind that, if you want to be great, that's what you have to do. So I've prepared myself to do that since I started throwing a baseball."

Verlander will pitch Game 1 of the ALCS at Minute Maid Park. The opponent will be the winner of Tuesday's ALDS Game 5 between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees, which was postponed from Monday by rain.

The 39-year-old Verlander missed all of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery early in 2020. In his triumphant return, Verlander authored an MLB-best 1.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP over 175 innings pitched. The nine-time All-Star is considered the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award.

Verlander has a player option for 2023 worth $25 million. If he declines, he will be eligible for free agency.