“Honestly, I’m disappointed.”
Justin Verlander (40, New York Mets) missed the opening game due to injury and was greatly disappointed with his physical condition. However, he soon recovered his health and vowed to make a quick comeback.
Verlander left the Houston Astros offseason and signed a two-year, $86 million (approximately 113.4 billion won) free agent contract with the Mets. His annual salary this season was $43.33 million (approximately 57.1 billion won), leaving his name as the league’s highest salary.메이저놀이터
The Mets expect a lot from Verlander. He is trying to build a perfect one-two punch with ace Max Scherzer (39) with his rich experience of winning 244 career victories. However, the team failed to form a strong one-two punch as envisioned at the beginning of the season. This is because Verlander, who has consistently proved his healthy physical condition since his debut, was put on the injured list (IL) due to strain on his right arm.
Verlander explained his overall physical condition in an interview with the major league official website ‘MLB.com’. He said, “The pains I have are disappearing quickly. It’s a positive sign. I’m waiting for (the pain) to completely go away before I hit the mound.”
Currently, Verlander has started playing catch and is slowly improving his physical condition. He is reported to have recovered his health by about 75%. At the latest, by the end of this month, he promised to get back on the mound. “I haven’t set an exact return date, but I have no doubts (return in April). However, I won’t get hurt again with foolish actions (quick return),” he explained.
As of the 8th, the Mets’ starting team is sluggish with an average ERA of 4.87 in 8 games, 4 wins and 3 losses. In terms of ranking, it ranks 18th in the league. It’s early in the season, but Verlander’s injury and Scherzer’s sluggishness are a big reason.
A healthy Verlander could energize the Mets’ starting rotation. Fans are paying attention to when he will recover and do his part on the mound.