San Francisco Giants' Justin Verlander (42) has been placed on the injured list.

Major League Baseball's official media outlet, MLB.com, reported on the 23rd (Korean time) that "Justin Verlander has been put on the injured list. San Francisco will once again need to adjust its starting rotation."

Verlander is a veteran ace with a career record of 536 games (3467⅔ innings), 262 wins, 150 losses, and an earned run average of 3.31. He boasts a dazzling awards history, including the American League Rookie of the Year in 2006, three-time American League Cy Young Award (2011, 2019, 2022), and the 2011 American League MVP.

This season, Verlander signed a one-year, $15 million (approximately 20.5 billion won) contract with San Francisco and has recorded 3 losses and an earned run average of 4.33 in 10 games (52 innings). On the 19th against the Athletics, he left the mound after recording 4 innings, 3 hits allowed, 5 walks, 1 strikeout, and 2 earned runs.

MLB.com noted that "Verlander has been placed on the injured list due to pectoral muscle pain, effective retroactively to the 20th. Verlander showed a drop in velocity and control during his last start." He threw a bullpen session before the game on the 22nd and acknowledged to trainers that "I'm not feeling as good as I'd like."

Manager Bob Melvin explained the reasoning behind placing Verlander on the injured list, saying, "It's sensible not to push him too hard since he won't be pitching in the next game anyway." He added, "He certainly doesn't welcome this situation. He wants to pitch in every game. But I think giving him a little break right now is a wise choice."

MLB.com pointed out that "Verlander had no pain during the last Athletics game, but his average four-seam fastball velocity dropped to 91.3 miles per hour (146.9 kilometers). The season average velocity was 94.2 miles per hour (151.6 kilometers)." Verlander realized something was wrong from the moment he threw a 90.5-mile-per-hour (145.6 kilometers) four-seam fastball to first batter Lawrence Butler.

Verlander reflected on his last start, stating, "I really thought I would be okay. But when I threw my first pitch on the mound and saw the scoreboard, it showed 90 miles (144.8 kilometers) and 91 miles (146.5 kilometers). I thought, 'Today is going to be a tough day.'"

"The worst-case scenario is thinking, 'I should be able to pitch in the next game,' and then an unfortunate variable occurs or I can't recover as quickly as I thought," Verlander emphasized, adding, "Then it would be a big loss not only for our rotation but also for other players. Nobody wants that situation."

Verlander's absence will be filled by Kyle Harrison. Harrison is one of San Francisco's key left-handed pitching prospects. He made his Major League debut in 2023 and recorded a record of 7 wins, 7 losses, and an earned run average of 4.56 over 24 games (124⅓ innings) last season. This season, he has recorded an earned run average of 3.38 in 4 games (5⅓ innings) without a starting appearance.

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