By ,
Published January 13, 2015
The Detroit Tigers and ace Justin Verlander have agreed to a five-year contract extension.
The new deal runs through the 2019 season and includes a vesting option for 2020.
"I love this city & the fans - couldn't be more excited to spend my career here!" Verlander wrote on his Twitter account. "We're going to bring a World Series to Detroit!!!"
Verlander has been among the most dominant pitchers in the American League since his first full season of 2006. He has won at least 17 games six times during that seven-year span, highlighted by an incredible 2011 campaign that featured a unanimous Cy Young and an AL MVP.
The fireballing right-hander was 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts, leading the AL in wins, ERA and strikeouts, during the 2011 season. He followed that up with a 17-8 mark, a 2.64 ERA and 239 strikeouts last year to help Detroit to the AL pennant.
"Justin is one of the premier pitchers in baseball and we are thrilled to keep him in a Tigers uniform for many years to come," said Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski in a statement Friday. "Justin has been a Tiger for his entire career and he is on pace to be one of the greatest pitchers in this illustrious franchise's history."
The Tigers selected Verlander in the first round of the 2004 draft and he made his big league debut just a year later, going 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA in two starts.
It's been full-steam ahead ever since.
Verlander has made at least 30 starts in each of his full seven seasons and owns a career mark of 124-65 with a 3.40 ERA, 20 complete games, six shutouts and 1,454 strikeouts in 232 starts.
The 30-year-old veteran was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2006 when he posted a record of 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA in 30 starts. He has joined Don Newcombe as the only players to win Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP honors.
Verlander was 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA in four postseason starts last year and has a record of 6-4 with a 4.22 ERA in 12 postseason outings.
A five-time All-Star, Verlander is slated to make his sixth straight Opening Day start on Monday when the Tigers visit Minnesota. It's the longest streak for a Tigers pitcher since Jack Morris started 11 straight openers from 1980-90.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/hold-that-tiger-verlander-gets-five-year-extension