When Justin Verlander first takes the mound again for the Houston Astros, it likely won’t be too far from where he made his final start for the Mets.
In fact, it likely will be just a short subway ride away.
Following Tuesday’s trade deadline deal that sent the 40-year-old back to Houston for two prospects, the righty is lined up to make his Astros debut against the Yankees in the Bronx on Friday.
Verlander has made a name for himself as a bit of a Yankee killer over the course of his career, especially in the playoffs.
The righty has a 2.62 ERA and 5-1 record against the Yankees in the postseason, which includes winning the 2017 ALCS MVP in a seven-game series against the Bronx Bombers.
His dominance over the Yankees continued during his brief Mets tenure when he posted a 0.75 ERA and 12 strikeouts in two Subway Series starts.
“It’s not necessarily facing them, I don’t think it’s that,” Verlander said last week following a 9-3 win at Yankee Stadium. “I mean, I enjoy pitching here. It’s fun. All eyes are on you and big moments, and we’ve had some great rivalries in the past with the Astros.
“Even going back to the Tigers in my rookie year in 2006, we beat these guys. A lot of fond memories on my behalf here.”
After a disappointing season, the Mets are selling off their historically expensive roster.
The Amazins dealt out some big name players before the MLB trade deadline — including now-former co-aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.
Below are the players the Mets have shipped out:
The Mets traded the outfielder minutes before the 6 p.m. deadline to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Arizona is sending back 17-year shortstop Jeremy Rodriguez, who has a .751 OPS rookie ball this season.
Justin Verlander
The Mets traded out Verlander, a sure-fire Hall of Fame pitcher, back to his former team, the Houston Astros.
The Amazins reportedly will receive top Astros prospect Drew Gilbert, a Double-A outfielder, and 20-year-old outfielder Ryan Clifford, who owns a .919 OPS through 83 games in Low- and High-A this year.
Max Scherzer
Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young winner that was a co-ace with Verlander, was sold off to the Texas Rangers.
The Mets landed one of the Rangers’ top prospects, Double-A infielder Luisangel Acuña, brother of Braves star Ronald Acuña.
Mark Canha
The veteran outfielder was dealt to the Brewers for Justin Jarvis, a promising 23-year-old pitcher that was ranked No. 12 in the Brewers’ farm system.
David Robertson
The Mets traded closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins, a move that started off the club’s deadline dismantle.
In exchange for Robertson, who is having another terrific season, the Mets received a pair of minor leaguers, infielder Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez, from Miami.
Verlander will get another chance to pitch against the Yankees, with the two sides beginning a four-game set on Thursday.
Verlander was dealt before Tuesday’s deadline after he waived his no-trade clause to return to Houston, where he won two World Series titles.
Prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford will go to New York in return.
The 40-year-old ace was the fourth big name — after Max Scherzer, David Robertson and Mark Canha — to be dealt, as general manager Billy Eppler looks toward building for the future.
The Mets also traded outfielder Tommy Pham in the waning minutes of the deadline.
The writing had been on the wall for Verlander as the deadline neared and he told reporters after his last start that he wanted to talk to the front office about the direction of the Mets.
“Right now, there’s a lot of gray area and I can’t make a decision with a bunch of what-ifs,” Verlander said.