The 2018 season was a banner one for Justin Verlander. Though he couldn't maintain the Bob Gibson-like performance of his first two months (12 starts, 1.11 ERA), the 35-year-old Astros right-hander notched his 200th career win on Aug. 19 and struck out a career-high 290 batters, leading the American League for the fifth time.
He just missed winning that elusive second Cy Young Award, finishing a very close second (to Blake Snell) for the third time in his career, but he might have punched his ticket to Cooperstown.
For those who care about pitcher win totals -- a decreasing demographic, even among Hall of Fame voters -- Verlander reaching 200 wins is significant, since the only starting pitchers elected to the Hall with fewer are short-career types like Sandy Koufax and several high-peak pitchers whose careers predate World War II.