Justin Verlander's phenomenal ALDS Game 1 against Twins wows Astros fans - "Future Hall of Famer"

The Houston Astros got the very best out of veteran star pitcher Justin Verlander in the ALDS Game 1 against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.

The veteran pitcher rolled back the years with his performance from the mound as the defending World Series champions found their groove early in the game.

Although Verlander struggled at the start of the game, the nine-time All-Star got into his groove in the third inning when the sliders started coming out just right.

The tempo was set from thereon with the Twins struggling against the pitching prowess of the future Hall of Famer. Verlander pitched six innings for the Astros and seemed a bit surprised when he was pulled from the game.

Although the three-time Cy Young winner was eager to continue, the home side were not going to take any chances on his fitness with the majority of the postseason yet to play.

Astros fans were over the moon with the performance of the veteran pitcher as they showered love on Verland on X (formerly Twitter).

Astros survive late surge from Twins after Verlander's memorable performance

Verlander pitched six innings, allowing just four hits and racking up six strikeouts before exiting the game. His pitching performance held the Twins scoreless, giving the Astros an edge in the ALDS opener.

While Verlander was a force to reckon with from the mound, it was a contrasting outing for his teammate Hector Neris. The Dominican pitcher handed a lifeline to the Twins after Jorge Polanco's three-run homer in the seventh inning.

His night got even worse when the red-hot Royce Lewis dispatched a homer as the Twins went back to back to claw their way back into the game. Neris was pulled from the game soon after as the game headed towards a thrilling finish.

However, Yordan Alvarez continued his impressive postseason run as he smashed his second homer of the game to help the Astros see off the threat of the Twins in Game 1 of the ALDS.