in the upper 90s even in the late innings of games. Since 2008, Verlander has thrown pitches of over 100+ mph in the 8th inning or later 44 times, 39 more times than James Paxton who is second on the list. This is despite the fact that he has thrown the most pitches in the major leagues since the beginning of the 2008 season. After a couple of injury-prone seasons, many believed Verlander had lost the velocity most fans had grown accustomed to. However, Verlander's velocity soared back up to an average of 95.3 in his 2017 campaign, 4 miles per hour faster than his average in 2014 (91.2), and three miles per hour faster than his average in 2015 (92.3). Verlander's average fastball velocity with no strikes is 94.7 mph, while with two strikes it is 97.0 mph. Due to the changing nature of how pitchers are used in baseball, Verlander is considered by many to be the last of the old-school power pitchers. He is also considered to be a higher-than-average fly ball pitcher. Throughout his career, Verlander has consistently been near or at the top of the league in innings pitched, leading the league in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2019. He has finished in the Top 10 in innings pitched 9 times (2009–13, 2016–19) and has the most 200+ innings pitched seasons of any current player with 11. His power pitching frequently leads to high strikeout totals. He is a five-time American League strikeout champion (2009, 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2018), and led all of major league baseball in three of those five seasons (2009, 2011 and 2012). He has fanned over 3,100 batters in his career, one of only 17 pitchers in history to reach that total, and ranks 12th all-time in career strikeouts through the 2022 season. Charity work In 2016, Verlander started the "Wins For Warriors Foundation" for veterans of the United States Military. The "Wins For Warriors Foundation" campaign raised $246,311 to help Houston recover from Hurricane Harvey in 2017. To date, Verlander has donated over $1 million to this cause. Verlander has also supported various local Detroit charities for the impoverished as well as helping out with national efforts such as the Red Cross. For his work with military veterans, Verlander was honored as one of the inaugural recipients of the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award in 2013. Personal life Verlander