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Named 2017 ALCS MVP The Houston Astros acquired Justin Verlander for exactly these types of moments: big games with high stakes where every pitch is steeped in pressure and where one mistake can be a season-ender. He delivered and was sensational in the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the New York Yankees, winning the ALCS MVP by going 2–0 with a 0.56 ERA. Verlander tossed a complete game gem in a 2–1 game 2 victory where 93 of the 124 pitches he threw were strikes. He relinquished only five hits while striking out 13. Five of those strikeouts came against the first two hitters in the New York lineup: Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge. He followed up that performance by delivering seven shutout innings in a 7–1 game 6 win that boosted his

postseason record with the Astros to 4–0, as he had won a pair of games in that season’s divisional round against the Boston Red Sox.

Highlights of his game 6 performance demonstrate why Verlander won the 2017 ALCS MVP award.

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Justin Verlander