The New York Yankees are back with a breathtaking game against the Houston Astros. The teams are one-one in a four-game series as they battle their league rivals. At the bottom of the AL East, not many are expecting much out of the Yankees, who are fighting the reigning World Series champs. But one reason to be excited about this game is Justin Verlander.

The pitcher recently returned to Houston after a few lackluster months in New York with the high-paying Mets, although their payroll never reflected on the field. Nevertheless, fans are eager to see Verlander back in Astros colors, although they have concerns about his health first.

Justin Verlander Temporarily Exits Because of Blood On His Hands

In a scary scenario, Verlander could be seen with a trail of blood down the back of his hand in the first inning against the Yankees. His first game back with the Astros certainly started with a bang. Verlander had apparently nicked his knuckle somehow and had to leave the mound. It was after the pitcher had gotten to Aaron Judge but walked Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton.

Head athletic trainer Jeremiah Randall attended to the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner and rubbed something on his knuckle. Although he walked back to the mound while blowing on his hand, there were bloody spots on Verlander’s pants. The scare came right in the first inning, so some are worried about how the rest of the game might go.

Verlander returned to the mound for two more innings but ran into trouble, probably because of his injured hand. Incidentally, this was not the first time it happened, although the pitcher played admirably back then.

Verlander Played Perfectly Even With Bleeding Hands

It’s no secret that the 9x All-Star is past his prime. And yet, he keeps on giving one spectacular performance after another. 2023 is an exception, while 2022 was a phenomenal year. In his final start of the regular season last year, Verlander played with bleeding hands. He had nicked his knuckles back then too, but no one could possibly guess by his unaffected performance.

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“I just kind of was clicking it on my glove or something. I’ve dealt with it before,” he said at the time. It was an important game against the Philadelphia Phillies and Verlander gave up zero runs. Although today’s game doesn’t show signs of similar performance, it’s hopefully just nicked skin and nothing more.

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