kenny rogers biography youtube

Kenny Rogers

Award-winning singer/songwriter Kenny Rogers enjoyed enormous success on both the country and pop charts with hits like "Lucille," "The Gambler" and "Islands in the Stream."

(1938-2020)

Who Was Kenny Rogers?

After working with bands and as a solo artist, Kenny Rogers released The Gambler in 1978. The title track became a huge country and pop hit and gave Rogers his second Grammy Award. Rogers also recorded a series of hits with country legend Dottie West and scored a big No. 1 tune, "Islands in the Stream," with Dolly Parton . Rogers also published several books, including a 2012 autobiography.

Early Life and Career

Singer and songwriter Kenneth Donald Rogers was born on August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas. While his name was "Kenneth Donald" on his birth certificate, his family always called him "Kenneth Ray."

Rogers grew up poor, living with his parents and six siblings in a federal housing project. By high school, he knew that he wanted to pursue a music career. He bought himself a guitar and started a group called the Scholars. The band had a rockabilly sound and scored a few local hits.

Breaking out on his own, Rogers recorded the 1958 hit single "That Crazy Feeling" for the Carlton label. He even got to perform the song on Dick Clark 's popular music program American Bandstand . Changing genres, Rogers then played bass with the Bobby Doyle Trio, a jazz group.

Moving on to a folk-pop style, Rogers was asked to join the New Christy Minstrels in 1966. He left after a year, along with a few other members of the group, to form the First Edition. Fusing folk, rock and country, the group quickly scored a hit with the psychedelic "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)." The band soon became known as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition and landed their own syndicated music show. They scored a few more hits, such as Mel Tillis' "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town."

Mainstream Success

In 1974, Rogers left the group to go solo again and decided to focus his energy on country music. "Love Lifted Me" became his first solo top 20 country hit in 1975. Two years later, Rogers reached the top of the country charts with the mournful ballad "Lucille," about a man being left by his wife. The song also did well on the pop charts, making it into the top five and bringing Rogers his first Grammy, for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male.

Quickly following up on this success, Rogers released The Gambler in 1978. The title track was again a huge country and pop hit and gave Rogers his second Grammy. He also showed his tender side with another popular ballad, "She Believes in Me." Kenny (1979) featured such hits as "Coward of the County" and "You Decorated My Life." Around this time, he wrote the advice book Making It With Music: Kenny Rogers' Guide to the Music Business (1978).

Duets With Dottie and Dolly

In addition to his solo work, Rogers recorded a series of hits with country legend Dottie West. The two reached the top of the country charts with "Every Time Two Fools Collide" (1978), "All I Ever Need Is You" (1979) and "What Are We Doin' in Love" (1981). Also in 1981, Rogers held the No. 1 spot on the pop charts for six weeks with his version of Lionel Richie 's "Lady."

By this time, Rogers was a true crossover artist, enjoying enormous success on both the country and pop charts and collaborating with such pop stars as Kim Carnes and Sheena Easton . Turning to acting, Rogers starred in television movies inspired by his songs, like 1980's The Gambler , which spawned several sequels, and 1981's Coward of the County . On the big screen, he played a race car driver in the comedy Six Pack (1982).

In 1983, Rogers scored one of the biggest hits of his career: a duet with Dolly Parton called "Islands in the Stream." Written by the Bee Gees, the tune went to the top of both the country and pop charts. Rogers and Parton won the Academy of Country Music Award for Single of the Year for their efforts.

After this, Rogers continued to thrive as a country music performer. Among the hits from this period is his duet with Ronnie Milsap, "Make No Mistake, She's Mine," which won the 1988 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Duet.

Photography and Businesses

In addition to music, Rogers also demonstrated a passion for photography. Images that he took while traveling around the country were published in the 1986 collection Kenny Rogers' America . "Music is what I am, but photography would probably be second," he later explained to People magazine. The following year, Rogers published another collection called Your Friends and Mine .

Continuing to act, Rogers appeared in such TV movies as Christmas in America (1990) and MacShayne: Winner Takes All (1994). He also began exploring other business opportunities, and in 1991 he launched a restaurant franchise called Kenny Rogers Roasters. He later sold the venture to Nathan's Famous, Inc. in 1998.

That same year, Rogers created his own record label, Dreamcatcher Entertainment. He also starred in his own off-Broadway Christmas show, The Toy Shoppe, around that time. Releasing his next album, She Rides Wild Horses , in 1999, Rogers enjoyed a return to the charts with the hit "The Greatest," which told the story of a boy's love of baseball. He scored another hit with "Buy Me a Rose" off the same album.

Later Years

In 2004, Rogers and his fifth wife, Wanda, welcomed twin boys Jordan and Justin in July — just a month before his 66th birthday. "They say that twins at my age will either make you or break you. Right now I'm leaning towards break. I would kill for the energy they've got," Rogers, who already had three older children from his previous marriages, told People magazine. That same year he published his children's book, Christmas in Canaan , which was later turned into a TV movie.

In 2009, he celebrated his long career with Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years , a musical retrospective. By that point, he had recorded dozens of albums and sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.

In 2012, Rogers published the autobiography Luck or Something Like It . He received recognition for his substantial musical contributions in 2013 when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. At the CMA Awards held that November, he also received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Some of country's top performers turned out to honor Rogers, including Jennifer Nettles and Darius Rucker .

That same year Rogers released the album You Can't Make Old Friends , followed in 2015 by the holiday collection Once Again It's Christmas . Starting in December and going into 2016, the iconic singer/songwriter embarked on what he announced as his farewell tour.

In April 2018, after Rogers pulled out of a scheduled performance at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina, the casino announced on Twitter that the singer was canceling the remaining dates of his final tour because of "a series of health challenges."

"I've thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to say farewell to the fans over the course of the past two years on 'The Gambler's Last Deal' tour," said Rogers in a statement. "I could never properly thank them for the encouragement and support they've given me throughout my career and the happiness I've experienced as a result of that."

Rogers died of natural causes at his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia, on March 20, 2020. He was 81.

A&E Biography Special

Biography: Kenny Rogers , premiered Monday, April 13 at 9/8c on A&E, and chronicled Rogers' life from his childhood, through the rise and fall of The First Edition, the iconic release of “The Gambler,” and to the height of his career as a successful solo artist, actor and pop-culture icon. The special utilized live performances and behind-the-scenes moments from Rogers’ 2017 star-studded farewell concert, All In For The Gambler, in Nashville, this “Biography” special paid tribute to a true country music legend. The two-hour documentary also featured exclusive photos, a never-before-seen interview and acoustic performance by Rogers himself as well as intimate interviews with family and fellow luminaries including Dolly Parton , Lionel Richie , Chris Stapleton , Reba McEntire , Little Big Town, Lady A, Jamey Johnson and more.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Kenny Rogers
• Birth Year: 1938
• Birth date: August 21, 1938
• Birth State: Texas
• Birth City: Houston
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Award-winning singer/songwriter Kenny Rogers enjoyed enormous success on both the country and pop charts with hits like "Lucille," "The Gambler" and "Islands in the Stream."
• Astrological Sign: Leo
• Death Year: 2020
• Death date: March 20, 2020
• Death State: Georgia

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The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us

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Kenny Rogers: Biography

GRAMMY® Award-winning superstar  Kenny Rogers  enjoyed exceptional success during his storied career of over six decades. With his staying power and universal appeal on full display, he endeared music lovers around the globe with his amazing songs, heartfelt performances, distinctive voice, gift for storytelling, relatability, showmanship, philanthropy and humility. 

Rogers sold over 120 million albums worldwide, making him one of the best-selling male artists of all-time according to the RIAA, with one Diamond album, 20 Platinum albums and 11 Gold. He recorded 24 No. 1 hits (including classics like "The Gambler," "Lady," "Islands In The Stream," “Lucille," "She Believes In Me," and "Through The Years”), 12 No. 1 albums and 25 Top 10 country albums. Miraculously, he charted a song within each of the last seven decades. His music has always crossed boundaries, with singles and albums finding frequent success on the Country, Top 40, and Adult Contemporary charts, and in a few instances, on the R&B and Christian charts. The first country artist to consistently sell out arenas, Rogers also achieved pop superstardom and reached the pinnacle of worldwide popularity and celebrity few artists have ever attained, performing live for millions of fans. Rogers’ 28 Billboard Adult Contemporary Top 10's rank fifth-best all-time, and he sent the most country No. 1’s to the top spot on AC (five of his eight AC No. 1’s were also country No. 1’s).

Rogers has won awards from every organization imaginable. In the fall of 2013, Rogers was bestowed with his biggest honor, being inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. His numerous accolades include 21 American Music Awards, 11 People’s Choice Awards, 10 Academy of Country Music Awards (including the Career Achievement Award, Entertainer of the Year, multiple Male Vocalist of the Year Awards and the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award), six Country Music Association Awards (including the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award and Male Vocalist of the Year), three GRAMMY® Awards, two CMT Music Awards and the CMT Artist of a Lifetime Award in 2015. He received the Career Achievement Award at the TNN Music Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award from IEBA (International Entertainment Buyers Association), an IEBA Hall of Fame Induction and the SESAC Legacy Award, among many others. He was also the recipient of the Horatio Alger Award, given to those who have distinguished themselves despite humble beginnings, an honor that was very special to him. Rogers was voted the "Favorite Singer of All Time" in a 1986 joint poll by readers of both  USA Today  and  People .

Born in Houston, Texas, Rogers formed his first band while in high school in 1956—a doo-wop group called the Scholars—and never quit making music. He charted on Cash Box as a solo artist in the late 1950s with the song "That Crazy Feeling" as Kenneth Rogers, which earned him a performance on "American Bandstand." After playing stand-up bass and singing for many years with the jazz group the Bobby Doyle Three (the group released an album on Columbia Records), Rogers joined folk favorite The New Christy Minstrels. In 1967, Rogers formed the First Edition. As the lead singer of the group, Rogers sang on the band's biggest hits, such as "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town." The group, who hosted their own syndicated television series, “Rollin'," stayed together through 1975.

In 1976, Rogers signed a deal in Nashville with United Artists. With the help of producer Larry Butler, Rogers released "Lucille" in early 1977, his first No. 1 hit. The singer would tally many classic hits through the decade, including "Sweet Music Man," "Every Time Two Fools Collide" (recorded with the late Dottie West), "Love Or Something Like It," "The Gambler," and "She Believes In Me." Rogers was named Male Vocalist of the Year by both the CMA and the ACM, being also recognized as Entertainer of the Year by the latter in 1979.

In 1980, Rogers made musical history with his cross-over success of "Lady." The Lionel Richie composition and production netted the Rogers a No. 1 hit in the Country, Pop, AC, and R&B fields. The album from which the song was pulled,  Kenny Rogers '  Greatest Hits , was certified Diamond for sales of over 10 million units. In the 1980s, Rogers stayed on top of the charts with No. 1 hits like "I Don't Need You," "Through The Years," "We've Got Tonight" (with Sheena Easton), "Islands In The Stream" (with Dolly Parton), “Crazy" and "Morning Desire." In 1985, Rogers sang on the GRAMMY®-winning USA For Africa charity single, "We Are The World," joined by an unprecedented number of music legends. He also established a successful career as an actor – playing the lead role of Brady Hawkes in the record-breaking, five-movie  The Gambler  TV series, starring in the 1982 motion picture "Six Pack" and more – and as a photographer, with several published books of photos to his credit, including "This Is My Country." 

In the 1990s, Rogers continued to perform in the far corners of the world and impacted the charts with hits like “If You Want To Find Love” and “The Greatest” (also a No. 1 video). In 2000, he returned to the No. 1 spot on the  Billboard  Country chart for the first time since 1987 with the love song "Buy Me A Rose" (with Alison Krauss and Billy Dean). The feat was made all the more impressive by the fact it was released on Rogers’ own independent label, Dreamcatcher Records. At the time Rogers was 61 years old and became the oldest artist in chart history to have a No. 1 solo song. Over the course of the next 10 years, Rogers charted hits like "I Can't Unlove You” and "The Last Ten Years (Superman)" from a critically acclaimed record,  Water & Bridges , which also spawned a GRAMMY® nomination with Don Henley for their collaboration, “Calling Me."

In 2011, Rogers released his only Gospel record,  The Love Of God , on his own label. The project, a bucket-list accomplishment that Rogers was very proud of (he learned to sing harmonies in church as a child), was available exclusively at Cracker Barrel. Rogers released his successful memoir, "Luck or Something Like It" in 2012 and became a  New York Times  Best-Selling Author. In the fall of 2013, Rogers was inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and in 2014 and 2015, the Hall of Fame hosted the exhibit, “Kenny Rogers: Through The Years.” He continued to endear himself to audiences through his timeless music, releasing new acclaimed albums on Warner Bros. Records: You Can't Make Old Friends  (2013) and  Once Again It's Christmas  (2015). He earned a final GRAMMY® nomination in 2014 for his last duet with Dolly Parton, the poignant "You Can't Make Old Friends.” He toured around the world with performances at such prestigious festivals as the Glastonbury Festival and Bonnaroo and made appearances on television – including a well-received GEICO commercial – in 2015. For his widely respected photography work, Rogers received an Honorary Masters of Photography from the Professional Photographers of America in 2014 and in 2017, he was honored with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Louis, Missouri.

In the fall of 2015, Kenny Rogers made headlines with the announcement that he would soon embark on a farewell tour – after one of the most successful and iconic careers in the history of show business. The spring of 2016 saw the singer begin that process with his "The Gambler's Last Deal" Final World Tour, saying goodbye to his loyal legion of fans one city and one night at a time in what was a critically-acclaimed night of music and memories. And sadly, on March 20, 2020, the world said goodbye to the American music icon.

On March 27, 2020, Capitol Nashville sent "Goodbye," a little-known "unearthed" recording by Rogers written by Lionel Richie, to country radio with the note: "Those closest to Kenny wanted to make this track available to all of his fans." Rogers delivers a moving performance on the emotional song: "There's peace in where you are / May be all I need to know / And if I listen to my heart / I'll hear your laughter once more / And so I have to say / I'm just glad you came my way / It's not easy to say goodbye." 

Kenny Rogers on his life, his music and the man who wrote The Gambler

Country music star talked to cbc's midday in 1999 while promoting his latest album.

Kenny Rogers on life and his long career

Social sharing.

As Kenny Rogers once famously sang in The Gambler , you've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.

It seemed the Houston-born country singer, who recently died at age 81 , took that advice to heart during his life.

At least, he seemingly followed that advice when it came to holding onto a connection with Don Schlitz, the man who wrote that career-defining song for him.

Because two decades after the Rogers-recorded version of The Gambler was played over and over again, Schlitz and the country star were working together again — with Rogers having recorded a Schlitz-penned song called The Greatest .

"He really has become one of the most prolific country songwriters and The Gambler was actually his first country song he'd ever written," Rogers told CBC's Midday , when appearing on the news program to promote his latest album in 1999.

"And the year he won all the awards ... he came up and he had on his rock 'n' roll T-shirt for the Country Music Awards and he says: 'This is my first country song and I find all this very encouraging.'"

'Everything gets a second chance'

But Rogers understood the business, which had embraced a more contemporary kind of sound for a while, and believed he'd been given an opening to make a return to the spotlight.

"The trick in this business, quite honestly, is to be able to sustain until you recycle because ultimately everything gets a second chance," Rogers told Midday .

"I just had to wait until the right song came along to where country music was ready to hear something different. And obviously, if you have the right song, they'll play it."

When appearing on Midday , Rogers had come through a tougher period of his career when his music had not been as popular as it once had been.

The singer seemed grateful to have a platform to share some new material, in addition to his well-established catalogue — one that he acknowledged would always be part of his performances.

"I've had some wonderful hits and I'll do 'em the rest of my life and enjoy doing them, but you become almost a retro act — an act from the '70s, an act from the '80s or whatever," he said.

'Success is no reason to quit'

And after all those years of performing, Rogers said he still liked doing what he was doing on stage.

"I have a famous quote now that's been attributed to me and I think it's really true that success is no reason to quit," he told Midday .

"That, truthfully, it gets more fun and easier, the more successful you get. You get to pick and choose the venues you want to work and you can work as often or as little as you want to."

He also said the money wasn't what kept people in the music business in the long term.

"I defy you to find me someone that says they were the happiest when they were making the most money. It's about the love of what you're doing," he said.

"Those of them who don't really get into music because they love music, don't wait around long enough for the success because you have to stay there whether the money is there or not, in order to survive, ultimately."

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Kenny Rogers Bio and Key Facts

by Claire Harman ‐ September 12, 2021

photo: Kenny Rogers Instagram

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Kenny Rogers , born in Houston, Texas with six siblings, was brought up in a country home. On his birth certificate, his full name is Kenneth Donald Rogers, but his family often called him Kenneth Ray while he was growing up. Though his family was poor, he decided he wanted to pursue music by the time he was in high school. He saved up to buy his first guitar. Learn more through the Kenny Rogers bio below!

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Kenny Rogers Bio: Starting Out

He started a “rockabilly” music group called the Scholars. They had a few local hits, but eventually, Rogers ventured out on his own. In 1958, he recorded his first hit single, “That Crazy Feeling.”

Then, he changed genres… a few times. Rogers played bass in a jazz group called the Bobby Doyle Trio and a folk-pop-style group called the New Christy Minstrels. Blending elements of country, folk and rock, Rogers formed the First Edition with a few other previous band members. They found success with a psychedelic hit, “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).” The group eventually came to have their own music show and became known as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition.

Kenny Rogers Bio; Going Mainstream

Surprise, surprise. Rogers left the group in 1974 to pursue a solo career again, focusing on country music this time. His first top 20 hit was “Love Lifted Me,” and two years later, he found the top of the country charts with “Lucille.” The ballad discusses a man being left by his wife, and it brought Rogers his first Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

Kenny Rogers Bio; Dottie and Dolly

Rogers recorded a few hits with country’s Dottie West, three of which reached No. 1 on the country charts. “Every Time Tow Fools Collide,” “All I Ever Need Is You” and “What Are We Doin’ in Love.”

He was a unique artist, crossing genres and enjoying his time on both country and pop charts. Just when we thought he did it all, he turned to acting. Rogers starred in movies inspired by his songs: The Gambler ,  Coward of the County , and on the big screen,  Six Pack .

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In 1983, Rogers recorded “Islands in the Stream” with country legend Dolly Parton. Together, they won an Academy of Country Music Award for Single of the Year.

Kenny Rogers Bio: Other interests

Kenny Rogers revealed his passion for photography with a 1986 Kenny Rogers’ America  published collection of photos he took while traveling. He published a second collection the next year.

“Music is what I am, but photography would probably be second,” he told  People .

In 1991, he started a restaurant franchise: Kenny Rogers Roasters. It was later sold in 1998, the same year that he created his own record label: Dreamcatcher Entertainment. From there, he released another album called  She Rides Wild Horses , bringing him back to his musical talent.

He proved that he was a country music force to be reckoned with.  in 2000, Rogers became the oldest artist in chart history (at age 61) to have a No. 1 solo record on the country chart with “Buy Me a Rose.”  Kenny received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 14, 1979.

Kenny Rogers Bio: Later in Life

In 2004, Rogers was turning 66 years old. Just a month before his birthday, his fifth wife, Wanda , welcomed twin boys Jordan and Justin. His life was about to get crazier!

“They say that twins at my age will either make you or break you. Right now, I’m leaning towards break,” he said, noting that he wished he had their energy. Rogers has three other children from his previous marriages as well.

In 2009 and 2012, he celebrated his long-lasting career with creating a musical retrospective project and publishing an autobiography. Later in 2012, Rogers released another album and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame the following year. He announced a farewell tour in 2016.

Rogers was still performing into 2018, though, and eventually had to cancel a series of shows due to health challenges.

“I could never properly thank them for the encouragement and support they’ve given me throughout my career and the happiness I’ve experiences as a result of that,” Rogers said in a statement about the cancellations.

Kenny Rogers passed away on March 20, 2020 at 81 years old.  Throughout his career, Rogers experienced many ups and downs and faced many changes. Nonetheless, his career came out on top, and he became a well-known country star that is well-loved by the industry.

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Kenny Rogers

• Born August 21 , 1938 · Houston, Texas, USA
• Died March 20 , 2020 · Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA (natural causes)
• Birth name Kenneth Ray Rogers
• Height 5′ 11½″ (1.82 m)
• Born in Houston, Texas on August 21, 1938, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, actor, record producer and entrepreneur Kenneth Ray Rogers was the fourth of eight children born to a carpenter father who worked in a shipyard and a mother who was a hospital nurse's assistant. Of humble Irish and Native American heritage, the boy grew up in the poorer section of Houston, but would become the first member of his family to graduate from high school. Kenny took an early interest in singing and, as a teenager, joined a doo-wop recording group called "The Scholars". The group recorded the song "Poor Little Doggie," and Kenny, age 19, recorded his first solo song, "That Crazy Feeling," for a small Houston label, Carlton Records, and his career was off and running. He subsequently joined the "New Christy Minstrels" 1966 as a singer and double bass/bass guitar player, then splintered off with others from the popular folk music group a year later to form the rock group "The First Edition," an eclectic-styled rock band whose repertoire included rock and roll, R&B, folk and country. The First Edition's first Billboard hit, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" (1968) was a psychedelic rock song which peaked at #5, and was followed by the more popular soft-rock hit "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" (1969) which hit #6 on the US charts and made them a star attraction. Other successes would include "Reuben James" (1969, #26), "Something's Burning" (1970, #11) and "Tell It All Brother" (1970, #17). By this time, the dark-haired, husky-framed, ear-pierced singer's ingratiating personality and sensual gravel tones, affectionately dubbed "Hippie Kenny," had taken center stage and the group changed their name to "Kenny Rogers and the First Edition" in 1969. The First Edition enjoyed worldwide success, appeared on such popular shows as "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," had featured roles in the TV movie The Dream Makers (1975) and went on to host the syndicated TV variety series Rollin' on the River (1971) . Sadly, the pressures of taping a weekly show caused extreme friction within the group and eventually took its toll. After a couple more years of producing songs that couldn't reach the "Top 20," the group decided to disband in 1976 and, inevitable as it was, Kenny went solo. It didn't take long before he started chalking up a string of country-tinged 'Top 20' pop hits with "Lucille" (#5), "Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer" (#4, with Kim Carnes ), "Through the Years" (#13), "We've Got Tonight" (#6, with Sheena Easton ) and his two #1 hit sellers "Islands in the Stream" (with Dolly Parton ) and "Lady." By the late 1970s, the (now) silver fox had sold over $100 million worth of records. He also made popular hit duets with both country female stars (Parton and Dottie West ) as well as the distaff pop elite ( Kim Carnes and Sheena Easton ). Into the 1980's Kenny began to feel a downswing in his singing career. After charting lower and lower, he wisely branched off into other successful areas. In 1980, he touched off a modest, lightweight, but highly appealing acting career starting with the Southern-styled TV-movie The Gambler (1980) , based on his #1 1979 Grammy-winning song hit. The feature had Kenny starring as poker-playing card shark Brady Hawkes, who attempts to unite with a son he never knew. This led to four equally popular sequels -- Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues (1983) , Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues (1987) , The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991) and Gambler V: Playing for Keeps (1994) . Two other old-fashioned western TV movies followed. The first was also based on a hit Kenny Rogers song, Coward of the County (1981) , (Country, #3) in which he played a town preacher who tries to mentor his young "cowardly" nephew. The second, Wild Horses (1985) , had him starring as a has-been rodeo champion looking for personal fulfillment herding wild mustangs. Kenny also tried to parlay his popularity as a major country singer into a conservative film career. There would only be one starring role. In Six Pack (1982) , Kenny stars as a race car driver who tangles with six roughhouse orphans. Instead, he was back to TV-movies where he went on to appear as himself in two TV country-flavored biopics -- Big Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story (1995) and Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story (1997) . He also put out the folksy yuletide offering Christmas in America (1990) which had his real-life son Kenneth Rogers co-starring in a father-son strained relationship; and the western Rio Diablo (1993) in which he he essays the role of a nice-guy bounty hunter assisting a revengeful groom country singer Travis Tritt in a search for of kidnapped bride. Another then-reigning country star, Naomi Judd , was featured as a colorful madam. In addition to a few acting appearances on TV with "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," "Touched by an Angel" and "How I Met Your Mother," Kenny also became a perennial star or guest of TV specials and seasonal events over the years, including Kenny Rogers and the First Edition: Rollin' on the River (1971) , A Christmas Special... With Love, Mac Davis (1979) , Kenny Rogers Live in Concert (1983) , Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember (1984) , Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton Together (1985) , Kenny, Dolly and Willie: Something Inside So Strong (1989) , Kenny Rogers Going Home (1995) , Live by Request: Kenny Rogers (1999) and Consequence (2007) . He also hosted two TV documentary series: The Real West (1992) and High Point Casinos of the World (2003) . In addition, Kenny published several books on photography and opened a rotisserie-chicken fast-food franchise (Kenny Rogers Roasters). Less and less visible in the ensuing years, Kenny produced the 1999 album "She Rides Wild Horses", which peaked at #6 on the country charts, his highest in 15 years, and included the #1 single "Buy Me a Rose." Spending much of his free time over the years breeding Arabian horses and cattle on a 1,200-acre Georgia farm, Kenny's seemed to settle with his fifth wife Wanda Miller, whom he married in 1997. He had five children altogether and his namesake, son, Kenneth Rogers , left acting and briefly launched his own singing career in 1989 with "Take Another Step Closer". He now is on the business end of entertainment providing music for TV and movies. Kenny made one last concert tour, "The Gambler's Last Deal," in 2015 and it was running worldwide, with visits including Australia, Scotland, Ireland, England, The Netherlands and Switzerland, as well as the U.S., until his health, plagued by bouts of bladder cancer and hepatitis C, failed him and he was forced to retire in 2018. The 81-year-old legend died on March 20, 2020, under hospice care at his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]
• Spouses Wanda Miller (June 1, 1997 - March 20, 2020) (his death, 2 children) Marianne Gordon (October 2, 1977 - 1994) (divorced, 1 child) Margo Gladys Anderson (October 22, 1963 - January 1975) (divorced, 1 child) Jean Laverne Massey (October 8, 1960 - 1963) (divorced) Janice Gordon (May 15, 1958 - January 26, 1960) (divorced, 1 child)
• Children Christopher Cody Rogers
• Parents Edward Floyd Rogers Lucille Rogers
• On a lark, he once performed as himself as part of the "Legends In Concert" impersonators show at the Imperial Palace Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. He sang the duet "Islands In the Stream" with the Dolly Parton impersonator. Several people from the audience interviewed after the show didn't realize that he was the real thing.
• His 1983 duet "Islands in the Stream" with fellow country singer Dolly Parton was ranked the #1 on CMT 100 greatest country duets of all time. The song, however, was originally written for Diana Ross by The Bee Gees (Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb).
• Identical twin sons, Justin Charles and Jordan Edward were born on July 6, 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia. His wife, Wanda, is an identical twin, and twins also run in Kenny's family.
• He was a co-founder of the restaurant chain Kenny Rogers Roasters in league with former Kentucky Fried Chicken chairman John Y. Brown Jr. Although they closed in the United States, they remain a fixture in Asia.
• Sang the song "Lady" with Lionel Richie playing piano.
• Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.
• A smart man isn't necessarily one who knows all the answers, but knows where to find them.
• [on performing with Dolly Parton ] Working with Dolly is a great rush for me because we are good friends, and we have been, forever. We just flirted a lot. I can't explain it, but flirting is more electric than passion. It's the anticipation. She does it better than anybody I've ever seen, and it's just good fun.
• I've been so lucky to have enjoyed such a long career and to have such amazing support from my fans and all who helped me along the way, but there comes a time when I need to focus on spending time with my family. There are a lot of things I want to do together with them to create some special memories. I don't have a bucket list of my own...I have a bucket list of things I want to do with them.

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Kenny Rogers

• Inducted 2013
• Born August 21, 1938
• Died March 20, 2020
• Birthplace Houston, Texas

Kenny Rogers parlayed a distinctive, husky voice and laid-back sex appeal into durable, lengthy international superstardom. Between 1977 and 1987, he logged twenty #1 country hits, many of which also climbed the pop charts.

A Career Before Country Music

Kenneth Ray Rogers entered country music with a broad musical background. Growing up in public housing in Houston, he was exposed to R&B, pop, and jazz in addition to country.

Rogers’s first professional group was a late-1950s vocal act called the Scholars, which had local hits in Houston. His doo-wop recording “That Crazy Feeling,” a 1958 solo hit on Carlton Records, earned him an appearance on American Bandstand .

During the early 1960s, Rogers played bass, and occasionally sang, in a Houston jazz trio. Membership in the New Christy Minstrels folk group spurred the founding of the First Edition, in which Rogers and other former Minstrels mixed folk, rock, and country sounds. The new group went #5 pop in 1967 with Mickey Newbury’s psychedelic “Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In)” and gained several additional pop hits on Reprise Records.

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Solo Stardom

After the First Edition’s breakup in 1974, producer-executive Larry Butler signed Rogers to United Artists Records, on which he had modest hits until the stunning success of the mournfully catchy, Grammy-winning “Lucille” (#1 country, #5 pop) in 1977. For the next dozen years, Rogers logged hit after hit, including “The Gambler” (1978-‘79)—penned by Don Schlitz—”She Believes in Me” (1979), and “Coward of the County” (1979-‘80).

In 1980, on Liberty Records, Rogers’s #1 country hit “Lady”—a romantic ballad written by pop star Lionel Richie—ruled the pop charts for six weeks. His successful duets included “Every Time Two Fools Collide” (1978), with Dottie West, and the crossover smash “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer” (1980), with Kim Carnes.

As the country-pop era reached a peak, Rogers piled up three Grammys, five Country Music Association awards, and eight Academy of Country Music awards, adding to his stature as one of country’s first artists to sell out arena shows. Already a veteran television performer, Rogers gained further exposure through acting in TV movies, including a series of five treatments of “The Gambler,” and his hit “Love the World Away” was a theme song in the era-defining 1980 film Urban Cowboy .

As the country-pop era reached a peak, Kenny Rogers piled up three Grammys, five Country Music Association awards, and eight Academy of Country Music awards, adding to his stature as one of country’s first artists to sell out arena shows.

“Lady” with Lionel Richie

Country Music Association Awards, 1984

“The Gambler” music video

From left: Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, and Valerie Harper backstage at the Forum in Los Angeles, California, 1981.

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton at rehearsals for the Country Music Association Awards, 1978. Photo by Steven Goldstein.

Kenny Rogers at the inaugural Farm Aid, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, 1985. Photo by Raeanne Rubenstein.

Kenny Rogers at the Country Music Association Awards, 1978. Photo by Steven Goldstein.

Kenny Rogers at the Country Music Association Awards, held at the Grand Ole Opry House, 1999. Photo by Raeanne Rubenstein.

Kenny Rogers at the Country Music Association Awards, 1979. Photo by Steven Goldstein.

Kenny Rogers and Dottie West performing at the Country Music Association Awards, 1978.

Kenny Rogers (second from right) onstage with the First Edition, 1973.

Kenny Rogers, 1980s. Photo by Walden S. Fabry Studios.

From left: Wynonna Judd, Kenny Rogers, and Naomi Judd, 1980s.

More Crossover Success

The 1980s also saw Rogers earn hits on Liberty and RCA, including “Love Will Turn You Around” (1982), the Sheena Easton duet “We’ve Got Tonight” (1983), and the memorable Dolly Parton duet “Islands in the Stream” (1983), all country #1s that made the pop charts. Rogers appeared front and center in the megastar collaboration “We Are the World” (1985), scoring additional chart-toppers such as “Crazy,” “Real Love,” and the sensual, George Martin–produced “Morning Desire.” But the solo hit “Tomb of the Unknown Love” (1986) and “Make No Mistake, She’s Mine,” a Grammy-winning duet with Ronnie Milsap released in 1987, were Rogers’s last #1 country records until “Buy Me a Rose” (1999-2000), recorded with Alison Krauss and Billy Dean.

Rogers’s crossover approach began to work against him as pop took on a harder edge and younger country artists went back to the genre’s roots. Nevertheless, he invested in Branson, Missouri, ventures, published several well-received photography books, authored two children’s books, engaged in major philanthropic endeavors, and launched a chain of restaurants.

Though his chart success slipped in the late 1980s and ‘90s through stints with Giant, Atlantic, Reprise, and Magnatone, “Buy Me a Rose” (on Dreamcatcher) gave Rogers a boost at the outset of the twenty-first century. He continued to tour and to release hits collections and albums of new material, the latter including Water & Bridges (Capitol Nashville, 2006), which yielded the Top Twenty hit “I Can’t Unlove You.”

In 2015, Rogers announced his plans to retire from the road following an extensive farewell tour. A star-studded tribute concert, featuring Linda Davis, the Oak Ridge Boys, Chris Stapleton and more, celebrated his lengthy career and impending retirement in October 2017. Rogers—who was born with the middle name Donald but legally changed it to Ray because his family used that as his middle name—died in early 2020.

— Thomas Goldsmith

Adapted from the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s  Encyclopedia of Country Music , published by Oxford University Press

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Kenny Rogers

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• Songwriters Hall of Fame - Biography of Kenny Rogers
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Kenny Rogers (born August 21, 1938, Houston , Texas , U.S.—died March 20, 2020, Sandy Springs, Georgia) was an American country music singer known for his raspy voice and multiple hits such as “Lady,” “The Gambler,” “Lucille,” and “Through the Years.”

Rogers grew up poor in a Houston housing project. In 1956, while in high school , he started his first band, the Scholars. He performed “That Crazy Feeling,” his first solo single (1957), on the hugely popular music television show American Bandstand . His talent was recognized immediately, and he was signed to a small local label, Carlton Records, in 1958. In 1966 he joined the New Christy Minstrels, a folk group started by Randy Sparks in 1961. After a year Rogers and a few other Minstrels left to form their own ensemble, the First Edition. Rogers found his way into the spotlight, and the band was soon referred to as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. The band—which played a mix of country, pop, and psychedelic music—had a few hits, including “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In),” “ Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” (written by Mel Tillis ), “Reuben James,” and “Something’s Burning.” The band also hosted Rollin’ on the River (1971–73), a variety show that took place on a Mississippi riverboat set and featured guests such as musicians Kris Kristofferson , B.B. King , and Al Green ; actor Jason Robards ; and comedians Cheech and Chong.

In the late 1970s Rogers hit his stride. Going solo again, he had his first major hit with the ballad “ Lucille,” which won him a Grammy Award for best male country vocal performance (1977). “Lucille” was named song of the year and single of the year by the Academy of Country Music and single of the year by the Country Music Association and also made its way up the pop music charts, proving that Rogers had enormous crossover appeal. In 1978 he released his album The Gambler , the title song of which won him another Grammy for best male country vocal performance. As many of his number-one hits did in the 1970s, “ The Gambler” appeared on the pop music charts as well as on the country music charts. “The Gambler” told such a vivid story that it was turned into a made-for-television movie (1980) starring Rogers, who played an expert gambler teaching a young protégé the tricks of the trade. The movie led to four sequels, all of which featured Rogers.

He collaborated with a number of other country singers, notably Dottie West on “Every Time Two Fools Collide” (1978), “All I Ever Need Is You” (1979), and “What Are We Doin’ in Love” (1981) and Dolly Parton on the number-one crossover hit “Islands in the Stream” (1983). He teamed up with Parton again for a duet of the title song on his 2013 album You Can’t Make Old Friends . He also recorded songs with pop musicians Kim Carnes (“Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer” [1980]) and Sheena Easton (“We’ve Got Tonight” [1983]). His collaboration with Ronnie Milsap on “Make No Mistake, She’s Mine” (1987) topped the country music charts.

Rogers’s string of hits tapered off in the 1990s, though he continued to record and release albums regularly, almost yearly. In 1998 he started his own record label, Dreamcatcher Entertainment, which released his albums of the next decade. In 2011 Rogers branched out and recorded a gospel album, The Love of God (rereleased in 2012 as Amazing Grace ).

In addition to writing and performing a vast collection of music over several decades, in 1978 Rogers coauthored a self-help book, Making It with Music: Kenny Rogers’ Guide to the Music Business , with Len Epand. He also published an autobiography, Luck or Something Like It—A Memoir (2012). Among his numerous awards, Rogers received the 2013 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Country Music Association, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame the same year. Rogers embarked on a farewell world tour in 2016 that he intended to conclude with a final concert in August 2018, but poor health forced him to cut the tour short in April of that year.

'Biography: Kenny Rogers': Top 5 traits that made the country music legend's storied musical career special

The recent A&E documentary, 'Biography: Kenny Rogers' aired on Monday night, April 13, which gave us a compelling look at the legendary Kenny Rogers, who sadly passed away on March 20, 2020. Kenny was a rare outlier, a music superstar who managed to garner considerable success in the worlds of doo-wop, pop, country and R&B, an unprecedented achievement for his time. During the course of his long and illustrious career, he garnered 24 amazing number one hits, had multiple successful collaborations with artists at the top of their game and earned a reputation as a caring, kind-hearted gentleman. But what made him such a legend? Here are the top five traits that stood out to us during the broadcast of A&E's 'Biography: Kenny Rogers.' 

The drive to succeed 

Kenny's hardworking mother once told him: "Be happy wherever you are, but never be content to stay there." Although he grew up poor in the projects of Houston, Texas, he was always pushing himself to succeed from a young age. He was surrounded by music growing up. Kenny loved singing so much that he would even go to the local hospital where his mother worked and sing to the nurses. He was part of a band in high school called The Scholars, had a doo-wop hit in 1957 called 'That Crazy Feeling' and even appeared on the TV show 'American Bandstand'. The Bobby Doyle Trio eventually hired him as an upright bass player and that's when he seized his opportunity.

After biding his time with the trio, Kenny auditioned over the phone for a chance to play with the New Christy Minstrels, a unique 10-piece folk group. After leaving the group, Kenny joined his first bonafide hit band, a quartet called The First Edition. Kenny rarely sang lead vocals at the time, except maybe for a few tracks like 'Just Dropped In,' an atypical song for the group that unwittingly became a massive hit, owing to the fast-rising psychedelic movement.

The band was in huge demand as a result of that song and were constantly touring, playing one TV show or concert after another. It took a toll on the band and their subsequent attempts to emulate the sound of 'Just Dropped In' didn't work out so well. They were at a crossroads and matters were made more complicated by the fact that Kenny's marriage to his wife Margo was falling apart.

But all this just solidified Kenny's stance, making him more determined than ever to find success in the music industry. He consequently took on more of a frontman role in The First Edition, choosing their next hit, the country-themed 'Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town'. In 1971, the First Edition even got their own TV show, 'Rollin' on the River' but after a few more years of constant touring, the group eventually ran out of steam - no more hits were coming and the band broke up in 1975.

For a while, Kenny was lost. He loved harmonies so much, he never saw himself as a solo artist. But what sets most talented has-beens apart from exemplary success stories is their sheer drive and lucky instinct for being in the right place at the right time. And Kenny had that in spades. He soon embarked on an illustrious solo career and never looked back, singing hits like 'Lucille', 'The Gambler,' 'Lady', 'Islands In The Stream' and many more, thanks to the faith borne in him by his producer Larry Butler and his loving wife of 16 years, Marianne Gordon. His past experiences fuelled his hunger for success. Kenny never knew when he would plummet all the way from his perch back to rock bottom and that's what made him one of the hardest working people in the music industry.

Kenny had a gifted story-telling voice

During his time with The First Edition, Rogers started gaining recognition for his special, lilting voice. It had a bit of raspy flavor to it and his phrasings were unique, making it possible for him to really sell the emotion behind a song. He soon became the focal point of the band and the name consequently changed to Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, due to his ability to tell an emotive story with just a few lyrics. 'Reuben James' for example, is a song about racial tolerance. It's about a little white child who is embraced by an older black man who became his father figure. Kenny's ability to hone in on the essence of a song and sing from that emotional POV became one of his defining characteristics -  it made listeners pay attention. As fate would have it, The First Edition played at Kent State University a week after the infamous campus shootings of 1970. They played 'Tell It All Brother' for the first time ever. The student body rose as one and raised their hands during the emotionally charged chorus, just another testament to Kenny's powers as a vocalist.

Kenny had a natural ear for a hit song

Dolly Parton once said, "I don't think anyone in the history of music has had a better ear for a hit song, nor could they sing them better." From his time with The First Edition, all the way through to his latter years when he was selling out arenas, Kenny retained an innate sense of what would make a song great, hearing the nascent song in his head as a fully-formed piece as music. Probably the best example of this talent is the song that probably made Kenny a household name - 'The Gambler'. Although the legendary Johny Cash had already cut a version of the song, Kenny made the definitive version of 'The Gambler' in 1978. Once again, his voice and charismatic appearance made the song believable.  The song took on a life of its own, spawning a movie called 'The Gambler' with Kenny in the starring role and made him a household name. He would go on to play to packed stadiums for the rest of his life. Many years later, Kenny disclosed one of his great secrets - he merely wanted to sing songs that had global appeal. Every time he chose a song, it was what every man wanted to say and what every woman wanted to hear.

Kenny was perfect for duets and collaborations  

Kenny had a rich, soulful voice, which made him perfect for duets. And he wasn't afraid to explore other genres, be it pop, country, soul or R&B. Kenny was noted for his ability to create beautiful harmonies with any singing sensation that caught his fancy. Over the years, he made numerous memorable collaborations with Dottie West, Kim Carnes, Sheena Easton and probably the most famous of his collaborators - his close friend, Dolly Parton, with whom he sang 'Islands in the Stream'. That song caused the pair to forge a close bond ever since their first recording session together in 1983, brought about by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees fame. So great was the chemistry between the two that everyone thought they were a couple on the side. As was her playful nature, Dolly often teased Kenny about this, which made their relationship even more special to watch. The country music duo had several hit records and would go on to tour the world together. 'You Can't Make Old Friends' was written especially for Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers, and was their last hit collaboration, a testament to their enduring success and legacy.

Kenny was extremely kind and generous

Lionel Richie was another close friend of Kenny, but few people know that Kenny invited him to stay at his guesthouse back in the day. Due to Rogers' fearless ability to straddle genres, Richie, then with the Commodores, was called in to write an R&B song, 'Lady', which became yet another quintessential Kenny Rogers hit song in 1980. The collaboration sparked a lasting friendship with Richie and he was invited to stay at Kenny's mansion, where he would go on to write hits like 'Hello' and 'All Night Long'. Richie was right there with Kenny when they collaborated with Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Ray Charles and other celebrities when they performed 'We Are The World' in Kenny's Lion Share Recording Studio, which he graciously donated to be used during the recording for no charge.

All throughout his long and storied career, Kenny Rogers was renowned as a kind, sweet, good-natured Southern gentleman with a heart of gold. Now that he has passed, he will be sorely missed, but his legacy will live on forever.  

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10 Things You Never Knew About Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers had one of the most successful public careers of any entertainer of his generation, and much of his life played out in the public eye, but there are still a number of things even some of his biggest fans probably don't know about the country and pop music icon.

Rogers lived a colorful life, and he lived it well, making the most of the success that he had earned after a difficult childhood. He had a number of high-profile friends from across the entertainment spectrum, so his social life was star-studded, while Rogers' professional life saw him try his hand at everything from acting to photography to writing, finding success in every field that he touched.

Musically, Rogers was just as restless. The early, less celebrated years of his career encompassed folk and jazz before finding his first big success in rock music as a member of the First Edition. And though it was country music that launched Rogers to solo superstardom, he never lost his thirst for musical variety, straddling the country and pop genres frequently in his career and even making a run at gospel.

5 All-Time Best Kenny/Dolly Songs

Rogers died on Friday (March 20) at the age of 81, and the tributes that came pouring in spoke volumes not only about his impact as an entertainer, but as a friend to many. But even as well as fans think they know the beloved Gambler, even the biggest Kenny Rogers fan will be fascinated by some of the facts they don't know about a true musical legend.

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Kenny Rogers

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• Debut: 7/04/2005
• Relationship(s): brother of Ben Verlander

Began the season with the Mets after signing a free-agent contract in the offseason but returned to the Astros in a trade deadline deal...Went a combined 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA (58ER/162.1IP) and 144 strikeouts in 27 starts...Among Major League pitchers with at least 160 innings pitched, he ranked ninth in ERA...Was pivotal to the Astros' run to the American League West Division title, going 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA (25ER/68IP) in 11 starts with the Astros to finish out the regular season...Six of his 11 starts with the Astros were quality starts...Was acquired by the Astros from the Mets on Aug. 1 in exchange for Minor League OFs Ryan Clifford and Drew Gilbert...Began the season on the injured list with a low-grade strain of the teres major muscle in his right shoulder...Was activated from the IL on May 4... Was superb in his final seven starts with the Mets, going 4-1 with a 1.49 ERA (7ER/42.1IP) while holding opponents to a .178 batting average in those outings...Picked up the 250th win of his career on July 30 vs WAS, in what was his last start for the Mets...Made the 500th start of his career on Aug. 11 vs. LAA...became the 39th Modern Era pitcher (since 1901) to reach the plateau...Was at his best with the Astros when pitching on the road, going 5-1 with a 1.95 ERA (8ER/37IP) through six road starts with the club...Had his finest start of the season as an Astro in a crucial spot on Sept. 25 at Seattle, allowing one run and striking out eight batters through eight innings while picking up the winning decision...Guided the Astros to a win in their series opener in Seattle en route to winning two-out-of-three in the penultimate series of the regular season...Tossed 5.0 scoreless innings and picked up the win in his final start of the season on Sept. 30 at Arizona...The Astros went on to win the contest 1-0 and clinched a postseason berth with the victory...Won AL Player of the Week for the final week of the regular season...Went 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA (1ER/13IP) in his two starts during the week...Marked his 10th career weekly award, tying him with Randy Johnson for the fourth-most since the award was created in 1973...Is one of four pitchers to win at least 10 weekly awards, along with Johnson, Nolan Ryan (13) and Roger Clemens (11)...Made three starts in the Postseason and went 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA (6ER/18.1IP) while logging two quality starts...Tossed six scoreless innings in Game 1 of the ALDS vs. Minnesota in a 6-4 Astros victory... Picked up his ninth career win in a DS, which are the most in Major League postseason history. 

Took home his third career Cy Young award (also: 2011 and 2019)...Won the award in unanimous fashion for the second time (also: 2011)....Won AL Comeback Player of the Year after missing the majority of the prior two seasons recovering from Tommy John Surgery....Selected to the All-Star Game for the ninth time in his career, but did not pitch....Led the majors in ERA (1.75), the lowest mark posted by an AL Pitcher in a full season since Pedro Martínez had a 1.74 ERA in his Cy Young season of 2000...Also led the majors in WHIP (0.83), opponent's average (.186) and opponent's OPS (.497)...Led the AL in wins (18) and winning percentage (.818)....Reached 3,000.0 career innings pitched on April 16 at Seattle, becoming the 138th pitcher in MLB history to achieve the feat...Also became the 17th pitcher in MLB history to record 3,000.0 innings pitched and 3,000 strikeouts....Did not allow a homer in his final 10 starts (58.2 IP)...Ranked third in the AL in home runs per nine innings (0.62) and posted the lowest ratio by a right-handed pitcher in the AL....Had three starts in which he did not allow a hit...Two of those were 5.0-inning outings and the third was 6.0 innings...Is the first pitcher in MLB history to make three hitless starts of 5.0 or more innings in a single season....Had a season-high nine-game winning streak from June 24-Sept. 22...During the streak, he recorded a 1.34 ERA (12 ER/80.2 IP) with 86 strikeouts...Was tied for the second-longest streak in the AL.

POSTSEASON: Went 2-0 with a 5.85 ERA (13 ER/20.0 IP) and 25 strikeouts in four starts as the Astros captured their second World Series title....Allowed six runs over 4.0 innings in Game 1 of the ALDS against Seattle....Earned the win in Game 1 of the ALCS vs. New York...Allowed one run over 6.0 innings and recorded a 2022 Postseason-high 11 strikeouts....Picked up his first career World Series victory over Philadelphia in Game 5...Allowed one run over 5.0 innings with six strikeouts...Became the fourth-oldest starting pitcher to earn a win in the World Series...Had the most World Series starts ever (eight) without recording a win before Game 5.

Missed the entire season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, performed on Sept. 30, 2020.

Made one start for the Astros, earning the win on Opening Day, July 24 vs. SEA (2ER/6IP)...placed on the 10-day IL on July 27 with a right forearm strain...rehabbed the injury in an attempt to comeback in September but ultimately underwent Tommy John 0surgery on Sept. 30...Marked just his second appearance on the Major League injured list in his 15-year career...His start on OPENING DAY was his eighth consecutive and his third straight for the Astros...he is now one of 10 pitchers in MLB history to make 12 career Opening Day starts, with eight of the other nine being Hall of Famers...in his Opening Day starts, Verlander has gone 5-1 with a 3.67 ERA (29ER/71IP), which includes victories in four straight Opening Days (three with Houston).

Won his second Cy Young Award with one of the most remarkable seasons in recent history...threw his third-career no-hitter, started the All-Star Game and achieved many career milestones, such as 3,000 career strikeouts and his first-career 300-strikeout season..led the Majors in wins, opponent batting average (.172), WHIP (0.80) and innings pitched (223) and ranked tied for first in quality starts (26) and second in strikeouts...among AL pitchers, ranked second in ERA...set a career high in strikeouts (300) and posted a career-best WHIP (0.80), the third-best WHIP in a single season in the modern era (since 1900), behind Pedro Martinez (0.74 in 2000) and Walter Johnson (0.77 in 1913)...posted a .172 opponent average, which was the seventh-best mark in MLB's modern era (since 1900)...was best mark since Pedro Martinez in 2000 (.167)...won at least 20 games for the second time in his career (also 24 wins in his MVP/Cy Young season in 2011)...at 36 years old, became the American League's oldest 20-game winner since Hall of Famer Mike Mussina won 20 games at 39 years old in 2008...21 wins ranked tied for second in a season in Astros history with Jose Lima (21 in 1999) and Joe Niekro (21 in 1979), behind Mike Hampton (22 in 1999)...threw his third career no-hitter on Sept. 1 at TOR, striking out 14 batters in 9.0 innings pitched...became the sixth pitcher in MLB history with at least three career no-hitters, joining Nolan Ryan (7), Sandy Koufax (4), Bob Feller (3), Cy Young (3) and Larry Corcoran (3)...was the 13th nohitter in Astros history, and the second of the season (also the four-pitcher combined no-hitter on Aug. 3 vs. SEA), making the Astros the 18th club in MLB history with multiple no-hitters in the same season...was the 11th individual no-hitter in Astros history, and the first since RHP Mike Fiers no-hit the Dodgers on Aug. 21, 2015 vs. LAD...was Verlander's second no-hitter at Rogers Centre (also May 7, 2011)...became the first pitcher in MLB history with multiple no-hitters at a single road venue...became the third pitcher all-time with multiple nohitters against a single team, joining Addie Joss vs. CWS (1908, 1910) and Tim Lincecum vs. SD (2013-14)... became the eighth pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter with multiple teams, joining Mike Fiers, Randy Johnson, Hideo Nomo, Jim Bunning, Nolan Ryan, Theodore Breitenstein and Cy Young...at 36 years, 193 days old, became the 12th-oldest pitcher in MLB history to toss a no-hitter, and the oldest since Randy Johnson nohit the Braves at 40 years old in 2004...became the 18th pitcher in Major League history to record 3,000 career strikeouts when he reached that total in his final start of the season on Sept. 28 at LAA...his 3,000th strikeout was his sixth on the night, a swinging strikeout of Angels RF Kole Calhoun, who reached first on what was ruled a wild pitch...recorded 12 strikeouts on the night, which was the exact number he needed to reach 300 strikeouts for the season for the first time in his career... became the second pitcher in MLB history to reach 300 strikeouts for a season and 3,000 strikeouts for a career within the same game, joining LHP Randy Johnson, who did so on Sept. 10, 2000 at FLA, while pitching for the Diamondbacks...became the fifth pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts to pitch for the Houston franchise, joining RHP Nolan Ryan (5,714), LHP Randy Johnson (4,875), RHP Roger Clemens (4,672) and RHP Curt Schilling (3,116)...reached strikeout number 3,000 on inning number 2,979.2, and in his 453rd game...per Elias Sports, became the fourth-quickest to 3,000 strikeouts by innings and the fifth-quickest in terms of games...climbed MLB's all-time strikeout leaderboard, surpassing Frank Tanana (2,773), Cy Young (2,806), Mike Mussina (2,813), Mickey Lolich (2,832) and Jim Bunning (2,855)...moved into 18th all-time with 3,006 strikeouts...was named to the 2019 AL All-Star Team via the player vote, his eighth-career All-Star nomination (2007, 2009-13, 2018-19)...received 267 player votes, the most among all MLB pitchers...became the 22nd pitcher in MLB history to be named to eight All-Star Teams (19 of those pitchers are Hall of Famers)...became the 33rd pitcher in MLB history to make multiple All-Star Game starts, and the 12th to do so for different teams, joining Hall of Famers Randy Johnson, Jack Morris, Steve Carlton and Roy Halladay, and Chris Sale, Roger Clemens, Vida Blue, David Wells, Curt Schilling, Dean Chance and Max Scherzer...went 13-2 against AL West opponents, posting a 2.91 ERA (38ER/117.2IP) with 158 strikeouts in 19 starts...the 13 wins marked the most by any pitcher against the AL West since divisional realignment in 1994...recorded 16 starts whre he allowed one earned run-or-fewer, which was tied for seventh-most starts in the Majors...started for the Astros on Opening Day on March 28 at TB...marked his 11th career Opening Day start and his second consecutive for the Astros...became the 14th pitcher in MLB history to record 11 Opening Day starts...earned the win with his 7.0 innings of one-run ball...struck out nine...marked his 7th consecutive Opening Day victory...became the 7th pitcher all-time to lead his club to eight total wins on Opening Day in his career...his nine strikeouts tied Mike Scott (1988) for the second-most on an Opening Day in Astros history...over a four-start stretch from April 13-29, posted a 1.33 ERA (4ER/27) with 37 strikeouts...allowed just one earned run in each start, all via solo home runs...became just the second pitcher in MLB history to allow one run in four straight starts, all via solo homers, joining Greg Harris in 1991...struck out six batters in 7.0 innings on May 26 vs. BOS, pushing him past the 2,800 strikeout mark for his career...became the 22nd pitcher all-time to do so...struck out a career-high 15 batters while issuing no walks over 7.0 innings on June 12 vs. MIL...became the second pitcher in Astros history to post 15+ strikeouts and no walks in a game, joining Randy Johnson on Aug. 28, 1998 vs. PIT...at 36 years, 112 days old, became the fourth-oldest MLB pitcher to post 15+ strikeouts and no walks in a game, behind a 43-year-old Nolan Ryan (15 SO on 8/17/90), a 37-year-old Randy Johnson (20 SO on 5/8/01) and a 37-year-old John Smoltz (37 on 4/10/05)...became the second pitcher in MLB history to strike out 15 batters in 100 total pitches or less, joining Félix Hernández (June 8, 2014 at TB)...posted a season-long five-game winning streak from July 14-Aug. 4...posted a 1.45 ERA (5ER/31IP) with 53 strikeouts during the streak...posted 10+ strikeouts in 7 consecutive games from July 19-Aug. 21, a new franchise record that was later broken by Gerrit Cole (9 straight starts)...prior to Verlander, the previous franchise record was five straight games, reached by Randy Johnson (Aug. 28-Sept. 18, 1998) and J.R. Richard (Sept. 16, 1979-April 10, 1980)... struck out 79 batters over 46.0 innings pitched during the run, which was good for a 15.46 strikeouts per 9.0 innings ratio...struck out nearly half of the 175 batters he faced (45.1% strikeout rate)...his seven-game double-digit strikeout streak was the longest streak of his career, topping his previous career-best mark of four consecutive double-digit strikeout games from Sept. 10-29, 2018...became the first pitcher to post seven straight games with 10+ strikeouts since the 2017 season, when Chris Sale (eight games) did so...the only four other pitchers in MLB history to put together streaks that long: Sale, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Nolan Ryan, with Cole eventually stringing together nine such games later in the season...was named the AL Player of the Week for the week ending Sept. 1...in two starts during the week (including his no-hitter on Sept. 1 at TOR), went 2-0 while throwing 14.1 scoreless innings, striking out 18 batters with one walk and four hits allowed (.085 opponent batting average)...was his ninth-career Player of the Week award, and first since Sept. of 2018... during his start on Sept. 7 vs. SEA, reached 200.0 innings pitched on the season, marking his 12th-career season with 200+ innings pitched (fourth consecutive)...became the first pitcher with 12 seasons of 200+ innings since Tom Glavine...from April 19 to the end of the season, his ERA was 3.00-or-lower and his opponent batting average remained below .200...won his 20th game of the season on Sept. 22 vs. LAA, which marked the second 20-win season of his career (also, 2011).. .improved to 21-6 with a win on Sept. 28 at LAA...was dominant in September, posting a 2.08 ERA (9ER/39IP) with 57 strikeouts in six starts...in 16 September starts since 2017, has gone 13-1 with a 1.44 ERA (17ER/106IP), 18 walks and 150 strikeouts...started six games for the Astros in the postseason, the most ever by an Astros pitcher in a single postseason in club history...went 1-4 with a 4.33 ERA (17ER/35.1IP) and 38 strikeouts in the postseason...threw 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, while striking out eight batters in Game 1 of the ALDS vs. TB...became the 14th pitcher in MLB postseason history to toss 7.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball, and the first since Bronson Arroyo in Game 2 of the 2012 NLDS vs. SF...marked his fifth scoreless outing in his postseason career...notched his eighth career Division Series victory, a Major League record, surpassing John Smoltz and Andy Pettitte...threw 6.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, while striking out seven batters in Game 2 of the ALCS vs. NYY...became the first pitcher in MLB history to reach 200 career postseason strikeouts...moved into third all-time in postseason wins (14) and tied for fourth in games started (30).

Justin and his wife, Kate Upton, reside in Beverly Hills, Calif...Had one of the best regular seasons of his career en route to a second-place finish in the AL Cy Young voting...was named to his seventh-career AL All-Star team, was the AL Pitcher of the Month for May, and received two AL Player of the Week awards (April 9-15, Sept. 10-16)...surpassed 200 career wins and 2,500 career strikeouts...led the AL in strikeouts (290), quality starts (26), WAR (6.8, Fangraphs), opponent on-base percentage (.242) strikeout to walk ratio (7.84) and WHIP (0.90) while ranking tied for first in starts (34), second in innings pitched (214), second in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (12.20), second in walks per 9.0 innings (1.56), third in ERA, third in opponent batting average (.200), fourth in opponent OPS (.602), fifth in opponent slugging percentage (.360), and tied for seventh in wins...posted career-best marks in strikeouts, WHIP, strikeouts per 9.0 innings, walks per 9.0 innings and strikeout to walk ratio...his 290 strikeouts marked the fourth-most strikeouts by an Astros pitcher in a single-season all-time, behind J.R. Richard (313 in 1979, 303 in 1978) and Mike Scott (306 in 1986)...became the fifth pitcher in MLB history to record 290+ strikeouts as a 35-year-old or older, joining Randy Johnson (1999-2002, 2004), Curt Schilling (2002), Nolan Ryan (1989) and Hugh Daily (1884)... became the 10th pitcher in MLB history to post eight 200-strikeout seasons, joining Nolan Ryan (15), Randy Johnson (13), Roger Clemens (12), Tom Seaver (10), Pedro Martinez (9), Bob Gibson (9), Bert Blyleven (8), Steve Carlton (8) and Gaylord Perry (8)...combined with Gerrit Cole (276 SO) to post 566 strikeouts, the most by a duo in a single season in Astros history (previously 503 strikeouts by Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott in 1987)...also became the second duo of pitchers to top 270 strikeouts apiece in the same season, joining Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who did so in 2001 and 2002...set a single-season franchise record for WHIP (0.90), topping Mike Scott's 0.92 WHIP set in 1986...marked the fifth-best WHIP by a pitcher 35 years or older all-time, behind Randy Johnson (0.90 in 2004 at 40), Babe Adams (0.90 in 1919 at 37) and Cy Young (0.89 in 1908 at 41; 0.87 in 1905 at 38)...also set single-season franchise records for opponent on-base percentage (.242) and strikeout to walk ratio (7.84)...reached 34 starts for the fifth time in his career (2009, 2011, 2013, 2016), and fell one start shy of his career-high of 35 set in 2009...recorded his 200th-career Major League win on Aug. 19 at OAK...became the 114th pitcher in MLB history to reach 200 wins...tallied 13 double-digit strikeout games, the most in the AL and the third-most by an Astros pitcher in a single season in club history...only J.R. Richard posted more, recording 14 double-digit strikeout games in both 1978 and 1979...led the Majors in road wins (12) and ranked third in road ERA (2.14)...tied the second-most road wins in a season in club history with Jose Lima (1999), behind Joe Niekro (13 in 1979)...ended the season with four consecutive double-digit strikeout games...marked the first time in his career that he posted 10+ strikeouts in four straight games...became the fourth pitcher in franchise history to have a streak like this: also Randy Johnson (5 games in 1998), J.R. Richard (4 games from 1979-80) and Nolan Ryan (4 games in 1982)...surpassed 19 pitchers to move up to 23rd all-time in MLB history in strikeouts (2,706)...entered the season ranking 42nd on that list, surpassing passed Luis Tiant (2,416), Jamie Moyer (2,441), Andy Pettitte (2,448), Sam McDowell (2,453), Jim Kaat (2,461), Mark Langston (2,464), Tim Keefe (2,475), Jack Morris (2,478), Don Drysdale (2,486), Christy Mathewson (2,507), A.J. Burnett (2,513), Bartolo Colon (2,516), Javier Vazquez (2,536), Jerry Koosman (2,556), Bob Feller (2,581), Warren Spahn (2,583), Tom Glavine (2,607), Chuck Finley (2,610) and David Cone (2,668)... struck out 38.9% of all left-handed hitters he faced, the second-best mark among MLB starters behind Gerrit Cole (41.1%)...started for the Astros on Opening Day on March 29 at TEX in what was his 10th-career Opening Day start...pitched Houston to a 4-1 win...marked the sixth-consecutive Opening Day game that he pitched his club to a victory...threw 7.0 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts to lead Houston to a 2-0 shutout over the Twins at Target Field on April 9...the game time temperature was 35 degrees...improved to 7-1 (.875) at Target Field, the highest winning percentage in the history of the venue...tabbed the AL Player of the Week for the week of April 9-15...went 1-0 with an 0.60 ERA (1ER/15IP) and 20 strikeouts in his two starts, allowing just five hits and two walks for an opponent batting average of .100 (5x50)...dominated the Rangers on April 15 in Houston, tossing 8.0 innings while allowing one run on one hit with 11 strikeouts...the only blemish was a solo homer by Robinson Chirinos...did not factor into the decision in the Astros 3-1 loss in 10 innings...per STATS Inc., Verlander (11K, 1H) and Rangers starter Bartolo Colon (7K, 1H) became the first opposing starters in the live-ball era to combine for at least 18 strikeouts and two-or-fewer hits allowed...became the second pitcher in club history to begin a season by going scoreless in each of his first three road starts (19IP), joining Roger Clemens, who did so across his first five starts and 32.0 innings pitched on the road in 2005...posted an 11-game regular season winning streak that spanned from Aug. 20, 2017-April 25, 2018...was one win shy of his career-long streak...joined Roger Clemens (2004) as the only pitchers to start their careers with the Astros on a nine-game regular season winning streak...on May 1 vs. NYY, struck out 14 hitters over 8.0 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits... tied his single-game career-high for strikeouts and tied the Minute Maid Park record for strikeouts in a single game...became the fourth pitcher in MLB history to strike out 14+ Yankees hitters without a walk in a single game...also Pedro Martinez (17 on Sept. 10, 1999), Curt Schilling (16 on Sept. 1, 1997) and Urban Shocker (14 on July 13, 1920)...tossed a five-hit complete game shutout on May 16 at LAA... struck out seven batters on 118 pitches, reaching 2,500 career strikeouts...struck out Shohei Ohtani for his 2,500th career strikeout... became the sixth pitcher in MLB history to reach 2,500 career strikeouts prior to his 400th career game, joining also Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens and Tom Seaver...was his first shutout since Aug. 26, 2015 vs. LAA...posted a 1.08 ERA through his first 11 starts of the season...marked the lowest ERA by a pitcher through his first 11 starts of a season since 2010, when Ubaldo Jimenez posted a 0.78 ERA for the Rockies over his first 11 starts...was named the AL Pitcher of the Month for May...marked his fifth career monthly award (also July 2016, Sept. 2012, June 2011, May 2009)...joined Corey Kluber as the only active pitchers with five career Pitcher of the Month Awards... during six starts during the month, went 3-2 with an 0.86 ERA (4ER/41.2IP), 50 strikeouts and a complete game shutout...led the AL in ERA during the month while ranking second in opponent average (.153), tied for second in innings and tied for third in strikeouts...posted the third-lowest ERA in a single month of May in team history, behind Nolan Ryan (0.20 ERA in 1984) and Mike Cuellar (0.86 ERA in 1968)...allowed one earned run or less in six straight starts from May 1-28, the second-longest streak of his career (7-game run during his 2011 MVP season)...became the first AL pitcher since Tom Candiotti (1991) to allow one earned run or less in each of his first six road starts of a season...made his 400th career start on June 14 at OAK (3ER/7IP)...allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his first 21 career starts with Houston, a new franchise record (previously 14 starts by Darryl Kile in 1991)...was the second-longest streak overall in club history, behind Larry Dierker's 22-start streak set from 1972-74...faced the Tigers for the first time on July 15 at Minute Maid Park (5ER/6IP)...became the fifth pitcher in MLB history to have a game with 12+ strikeouts while allowing at least four homers...had the best first-half to a season of his career...his 160 strikeouts, 2.05 ERA, .180 opponent batting average and .544 opponent OPS were all career-best marks in a single season prior to the ASG...his 2.05 ERA ranked fourth in franchise history for a single season prior to the All-Star Break (min. 100IP), behind Roger Clemens (1.48 in 2005), Mike Cuellar (1.78 in 1966) and J.R. Richard (1.96 in 1980)...dominated the Dodgers in the Astros 2-1 win at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 3...struck out 14 batters and walked one over 7.2 innings of one-run ball...gave up a leadoff homer to Joc Pederson before settling down to allow just three more hits over the course of his outing...the 14 strikeouts tied his career-high...was ejected for the first time in his Astros career on Aug. 9 vs. SEA...recorded his 200th-career win on Aug. 19 at OAK (4ER/5.1IP)...joined a group of 19 pitchers who reached 200 wins within 412 games or fewer...that group includes 13 Hall of Famers: Pete Alexander (HOF, 350g), Juan Marichal (HOF, 355g), Walter Johnson (HOF, 370g), Tom Seaver (HOF, 384g), Mike Mussina (389g), Roger Clemens (392g), Whitey Ford (HOF, 395g), Greg Maddux (HOF, 396g), Jim Palmer (HOF, 397g), Bob Feller (HOF, 400g), Randy Johnson (HOF, 401g), Andy Pettitte (401g), CC Sabathia (401g), Carl Hubbell (HOF, 402g), Bob Gibson (HOF, 404g), Roy Halladay (406g), Warren Spahn (HOF, 409g), Stan Coveleski (HOF, 409g) and Tim Hudson (412g)...posted 26.0 consecutive scoreless innings at Angel Stadium from Sept. 12, 2017-Aug. 25, 2018, the fourth-longest streak at the venue by a visiting player all-time and the longest since Mel Stottlemyre's 31-inning streak from 1971-73...went 3-0 in five September starts, posting a 1.09 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 33.0 innings... finished tied for first in the AL in ERA, and third in strikeouts...increased his active win streak in September to 10 games dating back to 2016...made three starts in the postseason, going 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA (8ER/17.1IP) and 17 strikekouts...became the club's all-time leader in postseason wins (6) and strikeouts (55)... moved into fourth-place all-time in MLB history in postseason wins (13), behind Andy Pettitte (19), John Smoltz (15) and Tom Glavine (14)...also moved up to sixth all-time in postseason starts (24) and fourth in postseason strikeouts (167)...earned his 12th-career postseason victory in Game 1 of the ALDS vs. CLE, pitching Houston to a 7-2 win over the Indians at Minute Maid Park in...gave up 2 runs on 2 hits over 5.1 innings pitched, striking out 7 with 2 walks...improved to 7-0 with a 2.38 ERA (17ER/64.1IP) in 11 career games in the Division Series, tying John Smoltz and Andy Pettitte for the most Division Series wins in MLB history...pitched Houston to a 7-2 win at Fenway Park in Game 1 of the ALCS...allowed two runs on two hits over 6.0 innings pitched ...walked four batters, tying his postseason single-game career-high (also 2006 ALDS Game 2 vs. NYY and 2012 ALDS Game 1 vs. OAK)...was his third consecutive victory in the League Championship Series...became the first pitcher to record a win in 3 consecutive LCS starts since Roy Oswalt (2005-10)...took the loss in Game 5 of the ALCS vs. BOS, snapping his consecutive scoreless innings pitched streak in elimination games at 26.0 innings (new MLB record)...gave up four runs on seven hits in 6.0 innings.

Helped lead the Astros to their first World Series Championship title, taking home ALCS MVP honors... eclipsed the 200 strikeout mark in a season split between the Astros and Tigers (219 total)...marked the seventh time in his career where he reached at least 200 strikeouts...marked his 10th career season with at least 200 innings pitched...joined LHP Mark Buehrle as the only pitchers since 2005 with 10 seasons of 200+ innings... ranked among the top AL pitchers in quality starts (T-1st, 23), strikeouts (6th, 219), innings pitched (3rd, 206.0), opponent batting average (4th, .221), strikeouts per 9.0 innings (8th, 9.57) and ERA (8th)...ranked second in MLB in pitches per game (107.0), behind Chris Sale (107.1)...posted an average fastball velocity of 95.2 miles per hour (per Fangraphs, 4th in the AL)...had not thrown that consistently hard since the 2010 season (96.1 mph)...went on an incredible run starting at the beginning of July...over his last 16 starts (since July 8), went 10-3 with a 1.92 ERA (23ER/108IP), 127 strikeouts and a .173 opponent batting average...14 of those 16 starts were quality starts...in that span, ranked second in the AL in ERA, second in innings pitched and first in opponent batting average...made five starts with the Astros to end the regular season...finished the month of September with a 5-0 record and a 1.06 ERA...per Elias, since 1913 (the first year earned runs were kept in both leagues) only four other pitchers went 5-0 or better with an ERA below 2.00 in the month of September after being acquired from another team: LHP Art Nehf in 1919 (5-0, 1.36 ERA for the Giants), RHP Doyle Alexander in 1987 (5-0, 0.71 ERA for the Tigers), RHP Randy Johnson in 1998 (5-0, 1.41 ERA for the Astros) and RHP Doug Fister in 2011 (5-0, 0.53 ERA for the Tigers)...finished the season on a season-long, six-game winning streak (Aug. 30-Sept. 27)...was his longest winning streak since a career-long 12-game streak from July 21-Sept. 18, 2011...took a winning decision in each of his first five starts in an Astros uniform...the winning streak to start his Astros career ranked second in franchise history...trailed only RHP Roger Clemens (7, April 7-May 11, 2004)...had a dominant postseason, going 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA (9ER/36.2IP) across five starts and one relief appearance...earned the Esurance MLB Award for "Best Major Leaguer, Postseason," which he split with teammate Jose Altuve...his ERA ranked 12th all-time among AL pitchers in a single postseason (min. 30IP)...struck out 38 batters, which ranked as the ninthmost in Major League history in a single postseason...were the most since LHP Madison Bumgarner fanned 45 in 2014...was named the ALCS MVP after going 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA (1ER/16IP) in two starts, striking out 21 while allowing only 10 hits and two walks...pitched an epic Game 2, tossing a complete game, allowing just one run on five hits with 13 strikeouts...made his ninth career Opening Day start with the Tigers...remained with the Tigers until Aug. 31, when he was traded to Houston in exchange for three prospects...took the win on April 4 against CWS, in what was his ninth career Opening Day start, all coming with the Tigers...nine Opening Day starts ranked third in Tigers history behind RHP Jack Morris (11) and RHP George Mullin (10)...gave up two runs on six hits across 6.1 innings in the Tigers 6-3 win...struck out 10 batters, which tied for the most by a Tigers pitcher on Opening Day since 1913, equaling the mark set by RHP Jean Dubuc in 1914 vs. the St. Louis Browns and LHP Mickey Lolich in 1966 at the New York Yankees and 1970 at the Washington Senators...on July 2 vs. CLE, snapped his streak of having struck out at least one batter in 331 consecutive games, which dated back to May 4, 2007...the streak ranked as the longest streak among active pitchers and was tied with RHP Curt Schilling for the sixth-longest streak among all pitchers since 1913...struck out 10 batters on Aug. 4 at BAL...was his 40th double-digit strikeout game with the Tigers, which ranked second in Tigers franchise history...trailed only LHP Mickey Lolich (54)...made his Astros debut on Sept. 5 at SEA...allowed just one run on six hits over six innings in the Astros 3-1 win...was the first start in his career that was not with the Tigers...in his second start with Houston, led the club to a 1-0 win over the Angels...pitched 8.0 shutout innings of one-hit ball...moved to 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA (1ER/14IP) and 16 strikeouts in two starts with the Astros...per Elias, only one other pitcher in Astros history went 2-0 with at least 16 strikeouts and an ERA as low as Verlander's over his first two starts with the team: RHP Collin McHugh in 2014 (2-0, 0.59 ERA, 19 SO)...on Sept. 17 vs. SEA, made his Minute Maid Park debut...allowed only one run off three hits and a walk over 7.0 innings in the Astros AL West Division clinching 7-1 win over Seattle...struck out 10 batters...it was his fourth double-digit strikeout performance and first with the Astros...was the third time that he earned the win in a playoff clinching situation...previously did it on Sept. 24, 2006 and Sept. 24, 2014 while with Detroit...pitched 7.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball on Sept. 22 vs. LAA at Minute Maid Park...struck out six batters and walked two in the Astros 3-0 victory...allowed one hit, which tied his lowest total of the year...in three starts from Sept. 12-22, allowed just four hits (23IP) for a .075 opponent batting average (5x67)...threw his fifth double-digit strikeout game on Sept. 27 at TEX (11 strikeouts)...was his final regular season start...pitched at least 6.0 innings in each of his last 14 starts ...was the longest active streak in the Majors...did not allow more than two runs in his final eight starts...went 7-0 with a 1.31 ERA (8ER/55IP) and 69 strikeouts in that span...recorded at least six strikeouts while walking three batters or less in each of his last 14 starts...was the second longest streak of his career, behind a 22-game run from June 25, 2011-April 21, 2012, and longest active streak by a Major League pitcher...won his first postseason appearance of the season in Game 1 of the ALDS vs. BOS...gave up two runs in 6.2 innings...moved to 5-0 with a 2.24 ERA (14ER/56.1IP) in nine career starts in the Division Series...became the second pitcher in MLB history to post a five-game winning streak in the Division Series...joined RHP John Smoltz, who went 7-0 in 16 career Division Series games from 1995-2009...made his first-ever relief appearance in the Major Leagues in Game 4 of the ALDS at BOS...got the win after throwing 2.2 innings of relief in Houston's 5-4 win to clinch the ALDS and advance to the ALCS... entered the game with one on and no outs in the 5th inning and gave up a two-run homer to the first batter he faced (Benintendi)...did not allow another hit over the rest of his outing, as he recorded eight outs to bridge the game over to RHP Ken Giles, who got a 2.0-inning save...marked the third time in his career that he pitched in a potential series clinching game in the postseason, and the first time in his career that he gave up a run in a potential series clinching game...improved to 3-0 with a 0.46 ERA (1ER/19.2IP), four walks and 21 strikeouts in those games...the other two games were starts in Game 5 of the 2012 ALDS at OAK, and Game 5 of the 2013 ALDS at OAK...threw a complete game in Game 2 of the ALCS vs. NYY...was the 14th postseason complete game with 13+ strikeouts in the Majors since 1903...last was RHP Tim Lincecum in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS...set a new personal postseason single game-high with 13 strikeouts...was his fifth game of 11-or-more strikeouts in his postseason career, breaking a tie with LHP Randy Johnson for the most such games in postseason history…124 pitches were the most in a postseason game since LHP Dallas Keuchel threw 124 in Game 3 of the 2015 ALDS vs. KC...led Houston to a 7-1 win, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings and allowing five hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in Game 6 of the ALCS vs. NYY...improved to 4-1 with a 1.21 ERA (5ER/37.1IP) and 41 strikeouts in five career postseason starts in elimination games...extended his scoreless innings streak in elimination games to 24.0 total innings...became the first pitcher in MLB postseason history to throw three consecutive scoreless starts in elimination games...became the second pitcher in club history to throw at least 7.0 scoreless innings in an elimination game, joining RHP Brandon Backe (2005 World Series Game 4)...joined RHP John Smoltz as the only pitchers in MLB postseason history with three starts of at least 7.0 innings and zero runs in elimination games...notched his 11th career postseason win in Game 6 of the ALCS...struck out eight Yankees batters, giving him 21 strikeouts in the ALCS...became the fourth pitcher in MLB history to strike out 20 Yankees batters in a single postseason series, joining RHP Bob Gibson (31 in the 1964 World Series), RHP Curt Schilling (26 in the 2001 World Series) and RHP Sandy Koufax (23 in the 1963 World Series)...became the eighth pitcher in MLB history to get the win in each of his first four games of a single postseason...joined RHP Michael Wacha (2013), LHP Cole Hamels (2008), RHP Josh Beckett (2007), RHP Curt Schilling (2001), LHP David Wells (1998), RHP John Smoltz (1996) and RHP Dave Stewart (1989)...took the loss in Game 6 of the World Series, despite giving up only two runs across 6.0 innings with nine strikeouts...was his first loss as an Astro...following the 2017 season was named the NY Chapter of the BBWAA co-winner of the Babe Ruth Award as Postseason MVP...shared the honors with teammate Jose Altuve.

Started 34 games with the Tigers in 2016 and compiled a 16-9 record with a 3.04 ERA (227.2IP/77ER) and 254 strikeouts... Led the American League with 254 strikeouts, the most strikeouts he's had in a season since 2009 (269)…marked the fourth time in his career he has led the AL in strikeouts…his 254 strikeouts were the most by a pitcher in his age-33 season-or-older since Randy Johnson struck out 290 in 2004…had a career-high eight games with 10-or-more strikeouts, which were the most by a Detroit pitcher since Max Scherzer also had eight games with double-digit strikeouts in 2013... Led the AL with a 1.00 WHIP, which was the lowest WHIP he's had in a season since posting a 0.92 WHIP in 2011, while he ranked second in the AL with a 3.04 ERA, 227.2 innings pitched and a .207 (171x827) opponents batting average, tied for second with 34 games started, third with 10.04 strikeouts per nine innings, tied for fifth with two complete games and tied for sixth with 16 wins... Struck out at least one batter in all 34 starts during the season and has now recorded a strikeout in 314 consecutive games, which is the longest streak among active pitchers and the ninth-longest streak among all pitchers since 1913... Finished second in voting conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America for the 2016 AL Cy Young Award... Named Tiger of the Year by the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America...Selected the Tigers nominee for the 2016 Marvin Miller Man of the Year award, which goes to the player whose on-field performance and contributions to his community most inspire others to higher levels of achievement...Picked up the third hit of his major league career with a single in the second inning on April 5 at Miami -- marked the first time a Tigers pitcher has recorded a hit on Opening Day since Mickey Lolich on April 6, 1971 vs. Cleveland… Verlander became the first AL pitcher to have a hit on Opening Day since Ken Holtzman and Bill Parsons in 1972...Tossed his first complete game of the season on May 13 at Baltimore, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in 8.0 innings…also threw a complete game on July 30 vs. Houston... Struck out 10 batters on May 18 vs. Minnesota to reach the 2,000 career strikeout mark…struck out Eddie Rosario to end the fourth inning for his 2,000th strikeout, becoming the second pitcher in Tigers history to reach 2,000 strikeouts, joining Mickey Lolich, and the 76th in MLB history... Named the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for May after starting six games during the month and posting a 2-3 record with a 3.16 ERA (42.2IP/15ER) and 46 strikeouts -- finished the month tied for the AL lead with 46 strikeouts, while he was second with 42.2 innings pitched and fourth with a .185 opponent batting average... Earned his 10th win of the season on July 25 at Boston, allowing a run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 6.0 innings - marked the 10th time in his career he has won 10-or-more games, which is tied with Tommy Bridges for the fifth-most, 10-win seasons in Tigers history…only Hooks Dauss (14), Mickey Lolich (12), Jack Morris (11) and George Mullin (11) have more 10-win seasons in franchise history... Named the AL Player of the Month for July after compiling a 4-0 record with a 1.69 ERA (42.2IP/8ER) and 48 strikeouts -- led the AL with 48 strikeouts in July, while he was tied for the AL lead with 42.2 innings pitched, second with a .171 opponents batting average, tied for second with a 0.89 WHIP, third with a 1.69 ERA and tied for third with four wins... Allowed two runs-or-fewer in eight straight starts from July 2-August 10, which ranked as the second-longest streak of his career, trailing only a streak of nine straight starts from May 29-July 10, 2011... Threw a career-long 11 straight quality starts from July 15-September 5, which was the longest streak by an AL pitcher in 2016…led the AL with 27 quality starts in 2016... Picked up his 15th win of the season in the second game of the doubleheader on September 22 at Minnesota, throwing 6.0 innings and allowing two runs on four hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts - marked his eighth 15-win seasons as a member of the Tigers…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Verlander is one four pitchers who debuted in the era of free agency with eight 15-win seasons for one team, joining Jack Morris, who had 10 for the Tigers, Tom Glavine, who had nine for the Braves and Greg Maddux, who had 11 for the Braves... Selected Tigers Pitcher for the month of September after posting a 2-1 record with a 1.93 ERA (32.2IP/7ER), 24 hits allowed, 10 walks and 48 strikeouts in five starts - led the AL with 48 strikeouts in September, while he was third with a 1.93 ERA, sixth with a .203 (24x118) opponents baƫting average and eighth with a 1.04 WHIP... Finished the season by allowing three runs-or-fewer in 17 of his last 18 starts dating back to July 1…over the 18-start stretch, posted a 9-3 record with a 1.98 ERA (123.0IP/27ER), 81 hits allowed, 29 walks and 147 strikeouts…led the AL with a 1.98 ERA, 147 strikeouts, a .184 opponents batting average and a 0.89 WHIP during the stretch, while he was tied for the AL lead with 123.0 innings pitched... Lefthanded hitters posted a .187 (76x406) batting average, while righthanders batted .226 (95x421) against him... Went 10-5 with a 3.07 ERA (129.0IP/44ER) and 151 strikeouts in 19 starts at Comerica Park, while he was 6-4 with a 3.01 ERA (98.2IP/33ER) and 103 strikeouts in 15 road starts…ranked sixth in the AL with a 3.07 home ERA, while he was seventh with a 3.01 road ERA... Posted an 8-6 record with a 4.07 ERA (117.1IP/53ER) and 120 strikeouts in 18 starts prior to the All-Star break, while he went 8-3 with a 1.96 ERA (110.1IP/24ER) and 134 strikeouts in 16 starts following the All-Star break.

Completed his 10th season with the Tigers in 2015, starting 20 games and compiling a 5-8 record with a 3.38 ERA (133.1IP/50ER) and 113 strikeouts. Sidelined from April 8-June 13 with a right triceps strain. Began an injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on May 31 -- made two rehab starts with the Mud Hens and had a 0-0 record with a 3.24 ERA (8.1IP/3ER), 10 hits allowed, two walks and 12 strikeouts. Reached the 2,000.0 career innings mark on July 5 vs. Toronto -- became the 11th pitcher in Tigers history to throw 2,000.0 innings. Named Tigers Pitcher of the Month for August after posting a 1-3 record with a 1.50 ERA (36.0IP/6ER) and 36 strikeouts in five starts -- ranked third in the AL in ERA during August, while he was fifth with a .177 opponents batting average and tied for ninth in strikeouts. Carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning on August 26 against the Los Angeles Angels and finished the game with a one-hit shutout, allowing two walks and nine strikeouts...the performance marked his 21st career complete game and his first since July 31, 2012 at Boston, while the shutout was the seventh of his career and first since May 18, 2012 vs. Pittsburgh. Allowed just one earned run over four starts from August 9-26, compiling a 0.31 ERA (29.0IP/1ER) -- according to the Elias Sports Bureau, that's the lowest ERA for Verlander over any four-start span in his major league career. Selected the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for September after going 3-2 with a 3.27 ERA (41.1IP/15ER) and 33 strikeouts in six starts -- ranked second in the AL in innings pitched during September. Finished the season by recording a quality start in 12 of his last 14 starts -- over the 14-start stretch, he posted a 2.27 ERA (99.1IP/25ER) with 74 hits allowed, 20 walks and 91 strikeouts...his 2.27 ERA led all American League pitchers dating back to July 24. Posted a 2-6 record with a 4.04 ERA (71.1IP/32ER) and 62 strikeouts in 11 starts at Comerica Park...went 3-2 with a 2.61 ERA (62.0IP/18ER) and 51 strikeouts in nine starts on the road. Compiled a 0-2 record with a 5.34 ERA (30.1IP/18ER) and 18 strikeouts in five starts prior to the All-Star break...went 5-6 with a 2.80 ERA (103.0IP/32ER) and 95 strikeouts in 15 starts after the All-Star break. Held lefthanded hitters to a .216 (56-for-259) average, while righthanders batted .244 (57-for-234) against him. 

Tabbed the Tigers Opening Day starter for the seventh straight year as he completed his ninth full season at the major league level with the Tigers in 2014...Recorded his eighth straight season with 200-or-more innings pitched -- joins James shields and Mark Buehrle as the only pitchers in the majors to toss 200-or-more innings for eight straight seasons...Won 15 games on the season to become one of five Tigers pitchers to record at least 15 wins in seven-or-more seasons...he joins Jack Morris (10 seasons), Mickey Lolich (eight seasons), Hal Newhouser (seven seasons) and Hooks Dauss (seven seasons) in accomplishing the feat...Rated as possessing the third-best curveball in the American League by Baseball America...Tabbed the Tigers nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to the player that best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team, as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media...Compiled a 3-1 record, a 2.48 ERA (40.0IP/11er) and 31 strikeouts in six starts during March/April...Recorded a season-high four-game winning streak April 12-May 4 -- posted a 2.73 ERA (33.0IP/10er) and 33 strikeouts during the five-start stretch...Knocked the first two hits of his major league career on April 12 at San Diego -- finished the day 2x3 with a run scored to become the fourth pitcher in franchise history to have a multi-hit game since the start of Interleague play in 1997...Tossed a quality start in seven of his first eight starts to begin the season...Missed his scheduled start on August 16 versus Seattle due to right shoulder soreness...Notched the 150th win of his major league career on September 8 versus Kansas City to become the seventh active pitcher in the majors with 150 wins and the eighth pitcher in franchise history to win 150 games...Compiled a 3-1 record, a 3.89 ERA (34.2IP/15er) and 27 strikeouts in five starts during September...Limited lefthanded batters to a .239 (110x460) batting average...righthanded batters hit .321 (113x352) with him on the mound...Compiled a 7-5 record, a 4.21 erA (92.0IP/43er) and 60 strikeouts in 14 starts at home...posted a 8-7 record, a 4.82 ERA (114.0IP/61er) and 99 strikeouts in 18 starts on the road...Recorded an 8-8 record, a 4.88 ERA (129.0IP/70er) and 96 strikeouts in 20 starts prior to the All-star break...posted a 7-4 record, a 3.97 ERA (77.0IP/34er) and 63 strikeouts in 12 starts following the break. Underwent core muscle repair surgery on January 9 after sustaining an injury at the end of December performing his offseason conditioning program...the surgery was performed by Dr. Bill Meyers in Philadelphia.

Selected to the American League's All-Star squad for the sixth time in his career as he completed his eighth full season at the major league level with the Tigers in 2013...Registered 217 strikeouts during the season, marking the fifth straight season he has fanned 200-or-more batters -- his streak of five straight seasons with 200-or-more strikeouts is the longest by a Tigers pitcher since Mickey Lolich did so in six straight seasons (1969-74)...Finished fourth in the American League with 217 strikeouts and 218.1 innings pitched...Surpassed 200.0 innings for Detroit for the seventh straight season, tossing 218.1 innings -- his streak of 200.0-or-more innings pitched is the longest by a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris also did so in seven straight seasons from 1982-88...Rated as possessing the second-best curveball in the American League by Baseball America...Earned the nod as the Tigers starter on Opening Day on April 1 at Minnesota, marking the sixth consecutive season he has served as Detroit's Opening Day starter -- first Tigers pitcher to start six consecutive Opening Days since Jack Morris started 11 straight (1980-90)...Fanned 12 batters on April 18 at Seattle, his first of four starts on the season with a double-digit strikeout total -- struck out a season-high 13 batters on May 27 versus Pittsburgh, 12 batters on September 23 at Minnesota and 10 batters on September 29 at Miami...Posted a 3-2 record, and a 1.83 ERA (39.1IP/8ER) and 41 strikeouts in six starts during April -- ranked fifth in the American League with a 1.83 ERA, while he was tied for fifth with 41 strikeouts. ..Recorded a season-best four-game winning streak May 22-June 7-- posted a 4.85 ERA (25.0IP/14ER) and 33 strikeouts during that stretch...Compiled a 1-2 record, and a 2.27 ERA (39.2IP/10ER) and 48 strikeouts in six games during September -- ranked second in the American League with 48 strikeouts, while he was seventh with a 2.27 ERA...Limited lefthanded batters to a .237 (117x493) average...righties hit .275 (95x345) with him on the mound...Compiled a 6-7 record and a 3.73 ERA (111.0IP/46ER) and 97 strikeouts in 17 games at home...posted a 7-5 record and a 3.19 ERA (107.1IP/38ER) and 120 strikeouts in 17 games on the road...Posted a 10-6 record, and a 3.50 ERA (126.0IP/49ER) and 125 strikeouts prior to the All-Star break...compiled a 3-6 record and a 3.41 ERA (92.1IP/35ER) and 92 strikeouts in 14 games following the break...Did not allow a run, while striking out 21 in two starts (15.0IP) during the American League Division Series versus Oakland -- earned the win in Game Five of the American League Division Series for the second straight year...Compiled a 1-1 record and a 0.39 ERA (23.0IP/1ER) and 31 strikeouts in three starts during the postseason.

Selected to the American League's all-star squad for the fifth time in his career as he completed his seventh full season at the major league level with the Tigers in 2012 -- selected to start for the American League during the All-Star Game in Kansas City...marked the 10th time a Tigers pitcher has been selected to start the game...Topped the American League with 238.1 innings pitched and 239 strikeouts, while he finished second with a 2.64 ERA, .217 batting average against, 7.25 hits per nine innings and 3.98 strikeouts per walk, tied for third with 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings and tied for fourth with 17 wins. Led the American League with six complete games -- marked the most complete games by a Tigers pitcher during a single season since Steve Sparks tossed eight complete games in 2001...Has led the American League in strikeouts in each of the last two seasons -- first Tigers pitcher to lead the league in strikeouts in back-to-back seasons since Jim Bunning did so in 1959 and 1960...Posted 17 wins during the season, marking the sixth time during his career he has registered 17-or-more wins -- became the fifth pitcher in Tigers history with at least six seasons of 17-or-more wins...he has won 17-or-more games in each of his last four seasons, marking the longest such streak by a Tigers pitcher since Hal Newhouser posted six consecutive seasons with 17-or-more wins (1944-49)...Registered 239 strikeouts during the season, marking the fourth straight season he has fanned 200-or-more batters -- his streak of four straight seasons with 200-or-more strikeouts is the longest by a Tigers pitcher since Mickey Lolich did so in six straight seasons (1969-74)...Surpassed 200.0 innings for Detroit for the sixth straight season, tossing 238.1 innings -- his streak with 200.0-or-more innings pitched is the longest by a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris did so in seven straight seasons (1982-88)...With 17 wins during the season, he passed Virgil Trucks (114), Denny McLain (117), Jim Bunning (118), Dan Petry (119) and Frank Lary (123) to move into 10th place in Tigers history with 124 wins...With 239 strikeouts during the season, he passed George Mullin (1,380) and Jim Bunning (1,406) to move into fifth place in Tigers history with 1,454 strikeouts...Named to The Sporting News' American League all-star squad following the season...Tabbed the best pitcher and rated as possessing the best fastball and curveball and second-best control in the American League by Baseball America...Earned the nod as the Tigers starter on Opening Day on April 5 versus Boston, marking the fifth consecutive season he has served as Detroit's Opening Day starter -- first Tigers pitcher to start five consecutive Opening Days since Jack Morris started 11 straight (1980-90)...worked eight shutout innings against the Red Sox in a no-decision that day, marking the first time a Tigers pitcher has worked eight-or-more shutout innings on Opening Day since Mickey Lolich went the distance in a 5-0 win at Washington on April 6, 1970...Made the 200th start of his major league career on April 5 versus Boston -- became the 19th pitcher in Tigers history to start at least 200 games for the club...Worked eight-or-more innings in each of his first three starts of the season April 5-16 -- first Tigers pitcher to do so since Jack Morris opened the 1988 season by tossing eight-or-more innings in each of his first three starts...Fanned seven-or-more batters in each of his first four starts of the season April 5-21 -- joined Hal Newhouser and Mickey Lolich as the only Tigers pitchers since at least 1918 to have at least four straight starts with seven-or-more strikeouts to begin a season...Newhouser accomplished the feat in four starts to begin the 1946 season, while Lolich did so in his first five starts of the 1970 season...Compiled a season-high five-game winning streak April 16-May 18...Selected the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for April -- compiled a 2-1 record, 2.41 ERA (37.1IP/10ER) and 35 strikeouts in five starts during the month...fourth in the American League with 35 strikeouts during April, while he finished eighth with a 2.41 ERA...Fired a one-hit shutout versus Pittsburgh on May 18 at Comerica Park, losing his no-hit bid on a single by Josh Harrison with one out in the ninth inning...Fanned 12 batters on May 18 versus Pittsburgh, his first of four starts during the season with a double-digit strikeout total -- struck out 14 batters on August 6 versus the New York Yankees, 12 batters on August 23 versus Toronto and 11 batters on September 2 versus the Chicago White Sox...Selected the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for May -- finished 3-2 with a 2.66 ERA (44.0IP/13ER) and 47 strikeouts in six starts during the month...second in the American League with 47 strikeouts during May, while he finished sixth with a 2.66 ERA...Posted a 3-2 record, 2.98 ERA (42.1IP/14ER) and 39 strikeouts in six starts during June -- tied for fourth in the American League with 39 strikeouts during the month...Worked five innings to register a complete game in a rain-shortened game on July 31 at Boston, marking the first time he did not work six-or-more innings in a start since August 17, 2010 -- tossed six-or-more innings in 63 straight starts August 22, 2010-July 26, 2012...marked the longest streak by a major league pitcher since Steve Carlton did so in 69 straight starts September 13, 1979-April 13, 1982...his streak of starts in which he worked six-or-more innings is the longest by a Tigers pitcher since at least 1918...Compiled a 3-2 record, 2.43 ERA (37.0IP/10ER) and 31 strikeouts in five starts during July -- fifth in the American League with a 2.43 ERA during the month.• Equaled a career high with 14 strikeouts on August 6 versus the New York Yankees -- marked the most strikeouts by a Tigers pitcher versus the Yankees since Jim Bunning finished with 14 strikeouts against the club on June 20, 1958 at Briggs Stadium...Topped the American League with 46 strikeouts during August...Did not allow a run in 18.0 innings over a four-start stretch September 8-24...Shared American League Player of the Week honors for September 24-30 with Baltimore's Chris Davis -- won both of his starts during the week, posting a 1.20 ERA (15.0IP/2ER) and 16 strikeouts...Tabbed the American League Pitcher of the Month and Tigers Pitcher of the Month for September -- finished 5-1 with a 1.93 ERA (42.0IP/9ER) and 41 strikeouts in six starts during the month...led the American League with five wins and a 1.93 ERA during September, while he tied for the lead with 41 strikeouts...Finished 9-2 with a 1.65 ERA (114.2IP/21ER) in 15 starts at home -- led the American League with a 1.65 ERA at home...posted an 8-6 record and 3.57 ERA (123.2IP/49ER) in 18 starts on the road...Limited lefthanded hitters to a .213 batting average (106x497)...righties batted .222 (86x387) with him on the mound...Fanned 11 batters in both Game One (October 6) and Game Five (October 11) of the American League Division Series versus Oakland -- has posted a double-digit strikeout total in a post-season start three times during his career...he is the first pitcher in Tigers history with multiple double-digit strikeouts during post-season action...Struck out 11 batters as he fired a four-hit shutout in Game Five of the American League Division Series on October 11 at Oakland -- according the Elias Sports Bureau, he joined Sandy Koufax as the only two pitchers in major league history to toss a shutout with 10-or-more strikeouts in a series-deciding game of a post-season series...Koufax fanned 10 batters for the Dodgers as he blanked the Twins 2-0 on three hits in Game Seven of the 1965 World Series...Became the fourth pitcher in Tigers history to toss a shutout during post-season action as he blanked the Athletics in Game Five of the American League Division Series on October 11 at Oakland -- joined George Mullin (Game Four of 1909 World Series), Bobo Newsom (Game Five of 1940 World Series) and Joe Coleman (Game Three of 1972 American League Championship Series) in accomplishing the feat for Detroit.

Led all American League pitchers with 24 wins, a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts during the 2011 season to become just the second Tigers pitcher to ever lead all three categories in a single season -- Hal Newhouser accomplished the feat for the Tigers in 1945...he is the first pitcher to lead the league in all three categories since Minnesota's Johan Santana did so in 2006...Selected the American League Most Valuable Player and he was unanimously named the American League Cy Young Award winner -- became the seventh Tigers player to win the Most Valuable Player Award, joining Mickey Cochrane (1934), Hank Greenberg (1935, 1940), Charlie Gehringer (1937), Hal Newhouser (1944, 1945), Denny McLain (1968) and Guillermo Hernandez (1984)...became the third pitcher in Tigers history to win the Cy Young Award, joining McLain (1968, 1969) and Hernandez (1984)...became the 10th pitcher in major league history to win both the Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards during the same season...joined Don Newcombe (1956), Sandy Koufax (1963), Bob Gibson (1968), McLain (1968), Vida Blue (1971), Rollie Fingers (1981), Hernandez (1984), Rogers Clemens (1986) and Dennis Eckersley (1992)...joined Newcombe to become only the second player in history to win the Most Valauable Player, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Awards...Newcombe was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1949 and he earned both the National League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards in 1956...Selected to the American League's all-star squad for the fourth time during his career...Tabbed The Sporting News' Player of the Year following the season -- first pitcher to win the award since Orel Hershiser did so with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988...Verlander is the first Tigers player to be selected the publication's major league player of the year since Denny McLain following the 1968 season...Selected to the Major League Baseball Player of the Year and the American League Outstanding Pitcher as part of the Players Choice Award balloting...Earned the Wilbur "Bullet" Rogan Award from the Negro League Baseball Museum as the American League's Pitcher of the Year...Topped the American League with an .828 winning percentage, 251.0 innings pitched, a .192 batting average against, 6.24 hits per nine innings and 8.39 baserunners per nine innings, while he tied for the lead with 34 games started, finished third with 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings and 4.39 strikeouts per walk, tied for fourth with four complete games, tied for fifth with two shutouts and tied for seventh with 2.0 walks per nine innings...His 24 wins tied him for the 10th-highest single-season total in Tigers history -- marked the most wins by a Tigers pitcher since Mickey Lolich finished with 25 victories during the 1971 season...Verlander is the first Tigers pitcher with 20-or-more wins during a season since Bill Gullickson won 20 games for the club in 1991...Marked the sixth time a Tigers pitcher led the American League in ERA -- became the fifth pitcher to accomplish the feat and the first since Mark Fidrych did so with a 2.34 ERA during the 1976 season...Registered 250 strikeouts during the season, marking the third straight season he has fanned 200-or-more batters -- his streak of three straight seasons with 200-or-more strikeouts is the longest by a Tigers pitcher since Mickey Lolich did so in six straight seasons (1969-74)...it marked Verlander's second season for the Tigers with 250-or-more strikeouts and he joins Lolich as the only two pitchers in club history to have multiple such seasons...Lolich fanned 250- or-more batters in three seasons during his Tigers career (1969, 1971 and 1972)...Surpassed 200.0 innings for Detroit for the fifth straight season, tossing 251.0 innings -- his streak with 200.0-or-more innings pitched is the longest by a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris did so in seven straight seasons (1982-88)...His .192 batting average against and 6.24 hits per nine innings were the lowest by a Tigers pitcher in club history...With 250 strikeouts during the season, he passed Joe Coleman (1,000), Frank Lary (1,031), John Hiller (1,036), Virgil Trucks (1,046), Wild Bill Donovan (1,079), Denny McLain (1,150), Dizzy Trout (1,199) and Hooks Dauss (1,201) to move into seventh place in Tigers history with 1,215 strikeouts...Posted a 16-3 record when starting following a Tigers loss during the 2011 season -- according to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marks the most wins by a major league pitcher following a loss by his team since Steve Carlton posted 19 such wins for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1972 season...Named to The Sporting News' American League all-star squad following the season...Tabbed the best pitcher and rated as possessing the best fastball, best curveball, third-best changeup and third-best pick-off move in the American League by Baseball America...Earned the nod as the Tigers starter on Opening Day on March 31 at New York's Yankee Stadium, marking the fourth consecutive season he has served as Detroit's Opening Day starter -- first Tigers pitcher to start four consecutive Opening Days since Jack Morris started 11 straight (1980-90)...fanned eight batters against the Yankees in a nodecision that day, marking the most strikeouts by a Tigers pitcher on Opening Day since Hideo Nomo also fanned eight batters on April 3, 2000 at Oakland...Recorded the 1,000th strikeout of his career on April 22 versus the Chicago White Sox, fanning A.J. Pierzynski in the seventh inning -- became the 15th pitcher in Tigers history to compile 1,000 strikeouts...Shared American League Player of the Week honors for May 2-8 with Minnesota's Francisco Liriano after posting a 1-0 record and 1.50 ERA (15.0IP/3ER) in two starts...shared American League Player of the Week honors two more times during the season, June 13-19 with Tampa Bay's James Shields and September 12-18 with Erick Aybar of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...won both of his starts June 13-19, posting a 0.50 ERA (18.0IP/1ER) and 17 strikeouts...did not allow a run in 15.0 innings of work as he won both of his starts September 12-18...Compiled an 18.0-inning scoreless streak over a three-start stretch May 2-13...Tossed the second no-hitter of his career on May 7 at Toronto, the seventh no-hitter in Tigers history -- joins Virgil Trucks as the only two pitchers in Tigers history with multiple no-hitters...Trucks threw two no-hitters for the Tigers during the 1952 season...according to STATS LLC, he is the 27th pitcher to record two career no-hitters in the American or National League...Compiled a nine-game winning streak May 7-June 30, posting a 1.54 ERA (87.2IP/15ER) over the 11-start stretch...Earned the win in seven straight starts May 29-June 30, while working seven-or-more innings and allowing two-orfewer runs -- he joined Frank Lary (September 1-29, 1956) as the only two Tigers pitchers since at least 1919 to work seven straight such outings...Worked seven-or-more innings and allowed two-or-fewer runs in nine straight starts May 29-July 10 -- according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he and Hal Newhouser are the only two Tigers pitchers in franchise history to have such a streak... Newhouser compiled his nine-game streak during the 1945 season...Selected the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for May after compiling a 3-0 record, 2.62 ERA (44.2IP/13ER) and 33 strikeouts in six starts...Fanned 10 batters on June 9 versus Seattle, his first of four starts with a double-digit strikeout total in 2011 -- struck out 12 batters on June 14 versus Cleveland, a career-high 14 batters on June 25 versus Arizona and 10 batters on August 11 at Cleveland...Garnered both American League and Tigers Pitcher of the Month honors for June -- finished 6-0 with a 0.92 ERA (49.0IP/5ER) and 54 strikeouts in six starts during the month...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the first major league pitcher to post a 6-0 record and an ERA below 1.00 in a single month since Kenny Rogers did so with Texas in May of 2005...also according to the Elias Sports Bureau, since 1913, when earned runs became an official American League statistic, the only other Tigers pitcher to win six-or-more games during a calendar month in which he posted an ERA below 1.00 was Frank Lary in September of 1956...Lary finished 7-0 with a 0.86 ERA (63.0IP/6ER) in seven starts during the month...topped all American League pitchers with six wins, a 0.92 ERA and 54 strikeouts during the month...Earned the win in 12 straight starts July 21-September 18, compiling a 2.28 ERA (87.0IP/22ER) -- according to the Elias Sports Bureau, his streak of 12 straight starts with a win established a Tigers record...surpassed wins in 11 straight starts by both Earl Whitehill (July 2-August 19, 1930) and Hal Newhouser (June 11-July 27, 1946)...the 12- game winning streak established a career best for Verlander and it marked the longest winning streak by a Tigers pitcher since Bobo Newsom compiled a 13-game winning streak April 25-July 13, 1940...marked the second streak in which Verlander won seven-or-more straight starts during the season and according to STATS LLC, he is the first major league pitcher to have two streaks of winning seven-or-more straight starts during a single season since Minnesota's Frank Viola did so during the 1988 season...he is the first Tigers pitcher to have two such streaks in a single season since Denny McLain did so for the club during the 1968 season...Tabbed the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for July after posting a 4-2 record, 1.99 ERA (45.1IP/10ER) and 48 strikeouts in six starts -- second in the American League with 48 strikeouts during the month, while he tied for third with four wins and finished seventh with a 1.99 ERA...Registered the 100th win of his career on August 11 at Cleveland -- became the 16th pitcher in Tigers history to earn 100 wins for the club...Recorded his 20th win of the season on August 27 at Minnesota -- became the first major league pitcher to record 20 wins prior to the end of August since Arizona's Curt Schilling did so in 2002...prior to Verlander, Toronto's Roger Clemens was the last American League pitcher with 20 wins prior to the end of August, doing so in 1997...Selected the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for August -- finished 5-0 with a 3.12 ERA (34.2IP/12ER) and 40 strikeouts in five starts during the month...tied for the lead in the American League with five wins during the month, while he finished sixth with 40 strikeouts...Compiled a 17.0-inning scoreless streak over a three-start stretch September 7-18...Posted a 4-0 record, 2.55 ERA (35.1IP/10ER) and 32 strikeouts in five starts during September -- tied for fourth in the American League with four wins during the month, while he finished eighth with a 2.55 ERA and tied for ninth with 32 strikeouts...Limited lefthanded hitters to a .174 batting average (86x495)...righties batted .215 (88x409) against him...Finished 10-3 with a 2.37 ERA (117.2IP/31ER) in 16 starts at home -- fourth in the American League with a 2.37 ERA at home...posted a 14-2 record and 2.43 ERA (133.1IP/36ER) in 18 starts on the road -- second in the league with a 2.43 ERA on the road... Compiled a 12-4 record and 2.15 ERA (151.0IP/36ER) in 20 starts prior to the all-star break...posted a 12-1 record and 2.79 ERA (100.0IP/31ER) in 14 starts following the all-star break...Fanned 11 batters in Game Three of the American League Division Series on October 3 versus the New York Yankees -- marked the third-highest strikeout total by a Tigers pitcher during a single post-season game, trailing 14 strikeouts by Joe Coleman (1972 American League Championship Series) and 12 strikeouts by "Wild Bill" Donovan (1907 World Series)...marked the fifth time a Tigers pitcher has posted 10-or-more strikeouts during a post-season game.

Selected to the American League's all-star squad for the third time in his career during the 2010 season as he tied for fourth in the league with 18 wins for the Tigers...Tied for third in the American League with 224.1 innings pitched, while he finished fourth with 219 strikeouts, tied for fourth with 33 games started and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings, tied for fifth with four complete games, finished seventh with 10.71 baserunners per nine innings, eighth with 7.62 hits per nine innings, ninth with a .228 batting average against and 10th with 3.08 strikeouts per walk...Selected to Baseball America's Second-Team Major League all-star squad following the season...Compiled 18 wins for the Tigers to mark the fifth straight season he has posted a double-digit win total -- first Tigers pitcher to post a double-digit win total in at least five straight seasons since Frank Tanana, who also did so in five straight seasons (1985-89)...Fanned 219 batters to mark the second consecutive season he posted 200-or-more strikeouts -- first Tigers pitcher with 200-or-more strikeouts in consecutive seasons since Jack Morris did so in 1986 and 1987...Tossed 224.1 innings to mark the fourth straight season he surpassed the 200.0-inning mark for the Tigers -- his streak of four straight seasons with 200.0-or-more innings pitched is the longest by a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris did so in seven straight seasons (1982-88) and Walt Terrell did so over the final four seasons of Morris' streak (1985-88)...Rated as possessing the best fastball and curveball in the American League by Baseball America...Earned the nod as the Tigers starter on Opening Day on April 5 at Kansas City, marking the third consecutive season he has served as Detroit's Opening Day starter -- first Tigers pitcher to start three consecutive Opening Days since Mike Moore also started three straight (1993-95)...Tabbed the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for May after compiling a 4-2 record, 2.64 ERA (44.1IP/13ER) and 41 strikeouts in six starts -- tied for third in the American League with 41 strikeouts during the month, while he tied for fifth with four wins and finished seventh with a 2.64 ERA...Struck out a season-high 11 batters on June 16 versus Washington -- equaled the high with 11 strikeouts on both September 12 versus Baltimore and September 24 versus Minnesota...posted a double-digit strikeout total in two other starts, fanning 10 batters on both July 3 versus Seattle and September 29 at Cleveland...Tied for third in the American League with four wins during June...Finished 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA (34.1IP/11ER) and 37 strikeouts in five starts during July -- tied for second in the American League with 37 strikeouts during the month, while he tied for seventh with three wins and finished ninth with a 2.88 ERA...Compiled a season-high five-game winning streak August 22-September 24, posting a 1.96 ERA (55.0IP/12ER) and 57 strikeouts over the seven-start stretch...Tied for ninth in the American League with 38 strikeouts during August...Went the distance in back-to-back starts September 18 at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field against the White Sox and September 24 versus Minnesota -- first Tigers pitcher with back-to-back complete games since Mark Redman did so May 21-27, 2002...Fanned 11 batters and did not issue a walk as he went the distance to earn the win on September 24 versus Minnesota -- marked the first time a Tigers pitcher picked up the win in a complete game effort as he did not allow a walk and fanned 10-or-more batters since Jack Morris accomplished the feat on August 13, 1983 versus the New York Yankees...Named the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for September after posting a 4-1 record, 2.54 ERA (46.0IP/13ER) and 51 strikeouts in six starts -- led the American League with 51 strikeouts during the month, while he tied for second with four wins and finished seventh with a 2.54 ERA...Compiled a 12-3 record and 2.31 ERA (113.0IP/29ER) in 16 starts at home -- seventh in the American League with a 2.31 ERA at home...his 12 wins at home established a Comerica Park single-season record...finished 6-6 with a 4.45 ERA (111.1IP/55ER) in 17 starts on the road...Posted an 11-5 record and 3.82 ERA (115.1IP/49ER) in 18 starts prior to the all-star break...finished 7-4 with a 2.89 ERA (109.0IP/35ER) in 15 starts following the all-star break.

Topped the American League with 269 strikeouts for the Tigers in 2009 as he was selected to the American League's all-star squad for the second time in his career -- first Tigers pitcher to lead the league in strikeouts since Jack Morris did so in 1983 with 232 strikeouts...his total of 269 strikeouts marks the fifth-highest single-season total in Tigers history...Led the American League with 35 games started, 240.0 innings pitched and 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings, while he tied for the league lead with 19 wins, finished third with 4.27 strikeouts per walk, fifth with 10.80 baserunners per nine innings, tied for fifth with three complete games, sixth with a 3.45 ERA and 8.21 hits per nine innings, tied for sixth with a .243 batting average against and eighth with a .679 winning percentage...Established career highs with 19 wins, 35 games started, 240.0 innings pitched and 269 strikeouts...Tabbed the Tiger of the Year by Detroit's chapter of the BBWAA...According the Elias Sports Bureau, his 269 strikeouts marked the most by an American League pitcher since Boston's Pedro Martinez fanned 284 batters in 2000...his 269 strikeouts led all major league pitchers and he became the fourth Tigers pitcher to lead the majors in strikeouts, joining Hal Newhouser (1944 and 1945), Virgil Trucks (1949) and Mickey Lolich (1971)...His 19 wins marked the most by a Tigers pitcher since Bill Gullickson won 20 games for the club in 1991...His 240.0 innings pitched marked the most by a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris worked 249.2 innings for the Tigers in 1990 -- became the first Tigers pitcher to lead the league in innings pitched since Morris did so with 293.2 innings pitched in 1983...Posted seven outings with 10-or-more strikeouts during the season -- marks the most such outings by a Tigers pitcher in a single season since Jack Morris also recorded 10-or-more strikeouts in seven games during the 1986 season...Fanned eight-or-more batters in 20 of his starts during the season -- the 20 outings with eight-or-more strikeouts are the most by a Tigers pitcher in a single season since at least 1954...Became the first Tigers pitcher to top 200 strikeouts in a season since Jeremy Bonderman fanned 202 batters in 2006...Rated as possessing the best fastball and curveball in the American League by Baseball America...Made his second career Opening Day start on April 6 at Toronto -- became the first Tigers pitcher to start consecutive Opening Days since Jeff Weaver did so in both 2001 and 2002...Started the 100th game of his career on April 17 at Seattle...Equaled a career high with a seven-game winning streak April 27-June 10 -- compiled a 1.10 ERA (65.1IP/8ER) and 81 strikeouts over the nine-start stretch...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Verlander was the first Tigers pitcher to win at least seven games with an ERA of 1.10-or-lower over a nine-start stretch since Doyle Alexander did so August 20-September 27, 1987...Alexander went 8-0 with a 0.96 ERA (75.1IP/8ER) over a nine-start stretch in 1987... Recorded a quality start in nine straight outings April 27-June 10, the longest such streak by a Tigers pitcher since Justin Thompson also registered a quality start in nine straight games July 26-September 5, 1997...Compiled a 5-0 record, 0.85 ERA (42.1IP/4ER) and 60 strikeouts over a six-start stretch April 27-May 25 -- according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Randy Johnson was the only other active pitcher at the time to ever have a six-start stretch in which he won at least five times, had an ERA below 1.00 and struck out 60-or-more batters...Johnson accomplished the feat in four different seasons (1994, 1997, 1998 and 2000)...According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the third pitcher in Tigers history to strike out at least 60 batters over a six-start stretch as he did so April 27-May 25 -- Denny McLain accomplished the feat twice in 1968, while Mickey Lolich did so in 1969 and 1971...Lolich holds the club record with 62 strikeouts over a six-start stretch May 23-June 25, 1969...Won all three of his starts April 27-May 8, fanning 31 batters as he allowed just one run in 23.0 innings pitched -- according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the first pitcher in Tigers history to win three straight starts while allowing only one run and fanning 30-or-more batters...Fanned 10-or-more batters in three straight starts May 3-14, marking the fifth time a Tigers pitcher has done so since at least 1954 -- Mickey Lolich accomplished the feat once in 1964 and twice in 1971, while Denny McLain pulled off the feat in 1968...He struck out 35 batters over the three-start stretch May 3-14 and, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he joined Mickey Lolich as the only two pitchers in Tigers history with as many strikeouts over a three-start stretch -- Lolich fanned 38 batters over a three-start stretch July 27-August 4, 1971 and he struck out 36 batters over a three-start stretch May 23-June 9, 1969...Compiled a 19.0-inning scoreless streak over a three-start stretch May 3-14...Won back-to-back outings over Cleveland, May 3 at Comerica Park and May 8 at Progressive Field, posting a 0.64 ERA (14.0IP/1ER) and 20 strikeouts -- according the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the first Tigers pitcher to win back-to-back starts with at least 20 strikeouts and no more than one run allowed over the two games since Jack Morris did so in July of 1986...Morris tossed back-to-back shutouts, fanning 23 batters over the two outings...Fired a two-hit shutout on May 8 at Cleveland -- marked his fourth career complete game and third career shutout...Established a career high with 13 strikeouts on May 14 at Minnesota -- marked the most strikeouts by a Tigers pitcher since Jeremy Bonderman fanned 14 batters on August 23, 2004 versus the Chicago White Sox...equaled the career high with 13 strikeouts on July 29 at Texas...became the first Tigers pitcher with multiple games of 13-or-more strikeouts since Mickey Lolich posted three such games during the 1971 season...Selected both the American League League Pitcher of the Month and Tigers Pitcher of the Month for May -- compiled a 5-0 record, 1.52 ERA (41.1IP/7ER) and 56 strikeouts in six starts during the month...led the league with 56 strikeouts during May, while he tied for the lead with five wins, finished second with a 1.52 ERA and third with a .178 batting average against (26x146)...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Verlander was the first major league pitcher to go undefeated in a month with as many as 56 strikeouts since Boston's Pedro Martinez did so in July of 2002...Martinez finished 5-0 with 59 strikeouts in 42.1 innings pitched for the Red Sox that month...Jack Morris is the only other Tigers pitcher to ever have a month with such numbers as he finished 6-0 with 56 strikeouts in 54.0 innings pitched in August of 1983...prior to Verlander, Steve Sparks was the last Tigers pitcher to earn American League Pitcher of the Month honors, doing so is August of 2000...Went the distance to earn the win over the White Sox on June 10 at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field -- fanned nine batters in the win to bring his season total to 106 through his first 13 starts of the season...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he tied the franchise record for the fewest games to reach 100 strikeouts in a season, matching Mickey Lolich in 1969...Lolich fanned 103 batters in his first 13 outings (12 starts) of the 1969 season...Selected the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for June after he finished 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA (34.0IP/11ER) in five starts -- sixth in the American League with 34 strikeouts during the month...Fanned 11 batters and did not issue a walk on July 7 versus Kansas City -- became the first Tigers pitcher to strike out at least 10 batters and not issue a walk since Jeff Robinson fanned 10 and did not issue a walk on June 20, 1988 against the New York Yankees...Posted six strikeouts on July 18 against New York at Yankee Stadium to run his season total to 155 strikeouts in his first 20 starts of the season -- according to the Elias Sports Bureau, his 155 strikeouts established a Tigers record for the most strikeouts by a pitcher in his first 20 outings of the season...eclipsed the old mark of 151 strikeouts established by Mickey Lolich in 1969...Tossed his third complete game of the season on July 24 versus the Chicago White Sox -- did not allow a run as he loaded the bases with no one out in the ninth inning and according to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time a major league starting pitcher pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-outs situation in the ninth inning-or-later without allowing a run since Seattle's Mike Moore did so in Kansas City on September 16, 1985...marked his second complete game of the season against the White Sox and he became the first Tigers pitcher with two complete games in a season against the same team since Mark Redman went the distance twice against the Indians in 2002...Did not issue a walk as he matched a career high with 13 strikeouts on July 29 at Texas -- became the first Tigers pitcher to fan at least 13 batters and not issue a walk in a game since Mickey Lolich did so on July 31, 1971 versus California...Lolich fanned 14 batters as he failed to walk a batter in 12.0 innings of work...Finished 4-2 with a 2.57 ERA (42.0IP/12ER) in six starts during July to earn Tigers Pitcher of the Month honors -- led the American League with 48 strikeouts during July, while he tied for second with four wins and finished seventh with a 2.57 ERA...Fanned 10 batters on August 19 versus Seattle...Third in the American League with 43 strikeouts during August...Recorded 11 strikeouts on September 24 at Cleveland...Compiled a 3-2 record and 3.74 ERA (43.1IP/18ER) in six starts during September -- topped the American League with 49 strikeouts during the month, while he tied for eighth with three wins...Limited righthanded batters to a .237 batting average (94x397) -- 10th-lowest batting average against righthanded batters in the American League...lefties hit .248 (125x505) with Verlander on the mound...Compiled a 10-2 record and 2.81 ERA (115.1IP/36ER) in 16 starts at home -- third in the American League with a 2.81 ERA at home...his 10 wins equaled his own Comerica Park single-season record (also won 10 games in 2007)... finished 9-7 with a 4.04 ERA (124.2IP/56ER) in 19 starts on the road...Posted a 10-4 record and 3.38 ERA (122.1IP/46ER) in 19 starts prior to the all-star break -- fanned 149 batters prior to the all-star break, marking the most by a Tigers pitcher prior to the all-star break since Mickey Lolich posted 156 strikeouts in 1972...finished 9-5 with a 3.52 ERA (117.2IP/46ER) in 16 starts following the all-star break.

Started a career-high 33 games during his third full season with the Tigers in 2008 -- tied for fifth in the American League with the 33 games started...Led the American League with 17 losses, while he finished third with 14 hit batsmen, tied for third with 87 walks and tied for fifth with 108 earned runs allowed...Second in the league with 106.9 pitches per game...Made his first career Opening Day start on March 31 versus Kansas City -- did not figure in the decision after allowing four runs in six innings of work...Suffered a loss in four straight starts April 27-May 14, establishing a career-long losing streak -- matched the career long four-game losing streak twice during the season, July 26-August 11 and August 27-September 20...His loss on May 14 at Kansas City dropped his record to begin the season to 1-7 -- according the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the fourth pitcher to start a season with a 1-7 record (or worse) following a season in which the pitcher was at least 12 games over the .500 mark...Verlander joined Eddie Cicotte in 1918 (28-12 in 1917), Jim Kaat in 1967 (25-13 in 1966) and Luis Tiant in 1969 (21-9 in 1968)...Went the distance on June 11 versus the Chicago White Sox -- limited the White Sox to one run on four hits...Compiled a season-best six-game winning streak June 11-July 20, compiling a 2.30 ERA (54.2IP/14ER) over the eight start stretch...Limited opponents to two earned runs-or-fewer in eight straight starts June 11-July 20, marking the second-longest such streak by an American League pitcher in 2008 -- Oakland's Justin Duchscherer's stretch of 11 straight starts May 24-July 20 was the only such streak longer than Verlander's...Verlander's streak was the longest by a Tigers pitcher during a single season since Dave Rozema also posted eight straight starts June 2-July 16, 1977...Fanned a season-high 10 batters on June 22 at San Diego -- marked the fourth time during his career he has posted 10-or-more strikeouts...Posted a 2-1 record and 2.73 ERA (33.0IP/10ER) in five starts during June -- fifth in the American League with a .197 batting average against (24x122) during June, while he tied for eighth with 34 strikeouts...Dropped eight of his 10 decisions over an 11-start stretch July 26-September 20, compiling a 6.98 ERA (59.1IP/46ER)...Tied for the lead in the American League with four wins during July, while he tied for seventh with 35 strikeouts...Finished 1-3 with a 7.13 ERA (24.0IP/19ER) in five starts during September -- his 7.13 ERA marked the highest ERA he has compiled in any single month during his major league career...Compiled a 7-9 record and 4.15 ERA (128.0IP/59ER) in 20 starts prior to the all-star break...finished 4-8 with a 6.04 ERA (73.0IP/49ER) in 13 starts following the all-star break.

Completed his second full season at the major league level with the Tigers, leading the club's pitching staff with 18 wins, 201.2 innings pitched and 183 strikeouts...Led the American League with a .750 winning percentage, while he finished fifth with a .233 batting average against and 8.08 hits per nine innings, tied for sixth with 18 wins, eighth with 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings and 10th with 183 strikeouts...Selected to the American League's all-star squad, his first career selection...Won 18 games for the Tigers -- according the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the sixth pitcher to win at least 17 games in the season after winning the Rookie of the Year award...joins Don Newcombe (1950), Herb Score (1956), Gary Peters (1964), Fernando Valenzuela (1982) and Dwight Gooden (1985) in accomplishing the feat...Became the first Tigers pitcher to post at least 17 wins in consecutive seasons since Jack Morris did so in backto- back seasons in 1986-87...Received 7.32 runs per nine innings, tops in the American League...Rated as possessing the best fastball and second-best curveball in the American League by Baseball America...Recorded a quality start in each of his first four starts of the season April 6-22 -- along with Jeremy Bonderman, it marked the first time a Tigers pitcher had done so since Steve Sparks posted a quality start in each of his first four starts April 3-19, 2002...Held the opposition to three earned runs-or-fewer in each of his first 10 starts April 6-May 26 -- longest such streak by a Tigers pitcher to begin the season since David Wells did so in 12 straight starts to open the 1993 season...Seventh in the American League with a .208 batting average against (22x106) during April, while he was 10th with a 2.79 ERA (29.0IP/9ER)...Won four straight starts May 4-20, compiling a 2.57 ERA (28.0IP/8ER)...Finished 4-1 with a 3.92 ERA (39.0IP/17ER) in six starts during May -- tied for second in the American League with four wins during the month...Ejected from the dugout by second base umpire Greg Gibson on June 2 at Cleveland -- marked his first career ejection...Did not allow a run in 17.0 innings over a three-start stretch June 6-17...Won four straight starts June 6-23, posting a 1.24 ERA (29.0IP/4ER)...Fired the first no-hitter in Comerica Park history on June 12 versus Milwaukee, the sixth no-hitter in Tigers history -- fanned a career-best 12 batters in the outing...first no-hitter in club history since Jack Morris on April 7, 1984 against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park and the first no-hitter thrown by a Tigers pitcher in Detroit since Virgil Trucks on May 15, 1952 versus Washington at Briggs Stadium...Earned American League Player of the Week honors for June 11-17, marking the second time he has garnered the award -- became just the second Tigers pitcher to capture the honor more than once, joining Jack Morris who earned the award three times with Detroit...won both of his starts during the week, compiling a 1.80 ERA (15.0IP/3ER) and fanning 18 batters...Fanned 11 batters on June 23 at Atlanta -- posted a third game with double-digit strikeouts on September 1 at Oakland, striking out 10 batters...first Tigers pitcher to post three games with double-digit strikeout totals in a season since both Jack Morris and Jeff Robinson did so three times during the 1988 season...Garnered Tigers Pitcher of the Month honors for June after compiling a 4-1 record and 2.65 ERA (34.0IP/10ER) in five starts -- led all American League pitchers with a .168 batting average against (20x119) during the month, while he tied for second with four wins, finished sixth with 40 strikeouts and 10th with a 2.65 ERA...Tied for 11th in the American League with 30 strikeouts during July -- posted a 2-1 record and 4.50 ERA (32.0IP/16ER) in five starts during the month...Won six of his seven decisions over a seven-start stretch August 11-September 12, compiling a 3.07 ERA (44.0IP/15ER) over the seven-start stretch...Tabbed the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for September after compiling a 4-1 record and 3.20 ERA (39.1IP/14ER) in six starts -- tied for second in the American League with four wins during the month, while he finished sixth with 37 strikeouts and tied for seventh with 39.1 innings pitched...Compiled a 10-3 record and 3.14 ERA (109.0IP/38ER) in 17 starts prior to the all-star break -- third in the American League with a .213 batting average against (86x403) before the break, while he tied for fourth with 10 wins and finished seventh with a 3.14 ERA...finished 8-3 with a 4.27 ERA (92.2IP/44ER) in 15 starts following the break -- tied for sixth in the league with eight wins following the break, while he tied for eighth with 86 strikeouts...Posted a 10-3 record and 3.74 ERA (106.0IP/44ER) in 17 starts at Comerica Park -- his 10 wins are the most by a pitcher during a single season at Comerica Park...went 8-3 with a 3.57 ERA (95.2IP/38ER) in 15 starts on the road...Topped all American League pitchers with 17 wild pitches and 19 hit batsmen.

Registered 17 wins for the Tigers during his rookie campaign, the most wins by a Tigers rookie pitcher since Mark Fidrych won 19 games in 1976...established a franchise record for rookie righthanded pitchers with 124 strikeouts...Named the American League Rookie of the Year by the BBWAA, becoming the fourth Tigers player to earn the honor and the first since Lou Whitaker in 1978...named the American League Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News and Major League Rookie of the Year by Baseball America ...tabbed the American League Outstanding Rookie in the Players Choice Award balloting...Tabbed the Detroit Sports Broadcasters' Association Tigers Rookie of the Year...Selected to the TOPPS Rookie All-Star squad...Tied for fourth in the American League with 17 wins, while he tied for seventh with a 3.63 ERA...Led all league rookies with 17 wins, 30 games started and 186.0 innings pitched, while he was second with 124 strikeouts...Second among all league pitchers with eight pick-offs... Rated as possessing the second-best fastball in the American League by Baseball America ...Earned his first major league win on April 8 at Texas after blanking the Rangers on two hits over seven innings...Finished 3-2 with a 3.52 ERA (30.2IP/12ER) in five starts during April -- tied for sixth in the league with a .211 batting average against (24x114) during the month, while he tied for ninth with three wins...Posted a 20.0-inning scoreless streak over a three start stretch May 17-27 -- longest such streak by a Tigers rookie pitcher since Victor Santos posted a 25.0-inning scoreless streak April 11-May 18, 2001...Fired a five-hit shutout on May 22 at Kansas City, becoming the first Tigers rookie to toss a shutout since Andy Van Hekken did so on September 3, 2002 versus Cleveland...Shared American League Player of the Week honors for May 22-28 with Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford -- won both of his starts during the week, posting a 0.56 ERA (16.0IP/1ER)...joined Tony Clark (1996) as only the second club rookie to earn the honor...Tabbed the American League Rookie of the Month for May after posting a 4-1 record and 1.73 ERA (36.1IP/7ER) in five starts -- tied for second in the league with four wins during the month, while he was third with a 1.73 ERA...Won seven straight decisions June 17-August 1, compiling a 1.93 ERA (51.1IP/11ER) over the eight-start stretch...Worked six-or-more innings, while limiting the opposition to one run-or-fewer in five straight starts June 28-July 26 -- according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he was first the first rookie pitcher dating back to 1973 in the American League to post such a streak...New York's Dwight Gooden was the last National League rookie pitcher to do so, accomplishing the feat in 1984...Established a career high with eight strikeouts on July 26 at Cleveland...Led all American League pitchers with a 1.01 ERA (26.2IP/3ER) in four starts during July -- second among league pitchers with a .175 batting average against (17x97) during the month, while he tied for 10th with three wins...Dropped five of his final eight decisions August 11-September 24 -- posted a 5.86 ERA (50.2IP/33ER) over the nine-start stretch...Registered an 8-3 record and 3.31 ERA (87.0IP/32ER) in 14 starts at Comerica Park -- 10th among all league pitchers with a 3.31 ERA at home...finished 9-6 with a 3.91 ERA (99.0IP/43ER) in 16 starts on the road...Compiled a 10-4 record and 3.01 ERA (110.2IP/37ER) in 17 starts prior to the all-star break -- tied for fourth in the American League with 10 wins before the break, while he was fifth with a 3.01 ERA...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the first Tigers rookie pitcher to reach 10 wins prior to the all-star break (dating back to the inception of the game in 1933)...finished 7-5 with a 4.54 ERA (75.1IP/38ER) in 13 starts after the all-star break...Made his first post-season start in Game Two of the American League Division Series against the Yankees on October 5, becoming the first Tigers rookie pitcher to start a post-season game since Ed Summers started Game Four of the 1908 World Series against the Chicago Cubs...Earned the win in Game Two of the American League Championship Series on October 11 at Oakland -- according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the first Tigers rookie pitcher to earn the win as a starter in the post-season.

Received his first major league action with the Tigers in 2005, making two spot starts...Recalled by the Tigers from Double A Erie to start the night game of a day-night doubleheader July 4 at Cleveland -- took the loss in his major league debut after allowing four runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings...Optioned back to Erie following the start, only to return to start in a similar situation for Detroit on July 23 versus Minnesota -- suffered the loss in that start as well after allowing five runs on eight hits in six innings pitched...Returned to Erie after being optioned back by the Tigers following his start on July 23.

• Status: Active
• Next HOU Game: 09-20 vs LAA

Justin Verlander against the Angels

Verlander works 'pretty hard' for first win since return

Justin Verlander gets Mickey Moniak swinging

Breaking down Justin Verlander's start

Zone charts, fsl pitcher of the week.

FSL Mid-Season All-Star

EAS Pitcher of the Week

Futures Game Selection

Baseball America High Class A All-Star

Baseball america minor league all-star, milb.com class a starting pitcher of the year, milb.com minor league starting pitcher of the year, al player of the week.

AL Rookie of the Month

Baseball America Major League Rookie of the Year

MLB Players Choice AL Outstanding Rookie

Jackie robinson al rookie of the year, tigers rookie of the year, al all-star.

AL Pitcher of the Month

Tiger of the Year

MLB Players Choice AL Outstanding Pitcher

MLB Players Choice Player of the Year

AL Cy Young

Starter of the year - mlb.com awards, bob feller act of valor award.

World Series Championship

Babe Ruth Award

Best major leaguer, postseason - mlb.com awards, astros pitcher of the year.

Baseball America Major League Player of the Year

All-MLB First Team

MLB Players Choice AL Comeback Player

AL Comeback Player of the Year

League rankings.

Hit By Pitch

Innings Pitched

Total Bases

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