Washington scored four times in the second inning and five overall on 11 hits against Verlander in the latest outing in what has been a season-long struggle for the 42-year-old.
“I was happy to get there, happy to have a moment with the fans,” said Verlander, who is 1-9 in 20 starts with the Giants and has a hefty 4.53 ERA. “Cool milestone. I really appreciate what it’s taken to get there.”
Verlander hasn’t given Giants much to celebrate this season, though he had been in the best stretch of the season prior to getting roughed Sunday. In his three previous games prior, Verlander had a 0.60 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 15 innings.
He finished with six strikeouts against the Nationals, but spent most of his postgame media session focused on the entirety of his season rather than the 3,500 strikeouts.
While acknowledging frustration about how the year has played out, Verlander likened his performances to the 2022 campaign, when he went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA with the Houston Astros on the way to winning his third Cy Young.
“Stuff’s great, stuff’s fine,” Verlander said. “I’ve spent a lot of the season looking at comparables. It’s right on par, literally almost up and down the board, with (2022) when I won the Cy Young. So, I think the stuff is just fine. The results have been frustrating.”
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