One last pitch, at home
One mound. One last time. On his own patch.
A.J. Hinch has confirmed it: Justin Verlander will make the final start of his career on Saturday, against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park. Twenty-one years after making his debut in that same Tigers jersey.
He said it himself before the All-Star Game. 2026 would be the last one. He got a spot as a “legend pick.” A fitting nod, even then.
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A season he barely played in
On March 30, against Arizona. Three and two-thirds innings. Five runs allowed. The loss. Then nothing.
The hip. The hamstrings. Six months away from the mound at 43, with a body that finally called time.
This weekend changes everything. His first home start in Tigers colors since August 20, 2017. Eleven days later, he was off to Houston. After that came the Astros, Mets and Giants, a career that circled the country before landing back where it began.
266 wins, and that’s that
Triple Cy Young. MVP in 2011. Two titles with Houston, in 2017 and 2022. 266 wins, 159 losses, a 3.33 ERA across 556 starts. The kind of numbers that speak for themselves.
The Tigers are throwing a celebration Friday and Saturday. Verlander, though, is keeping it simple: “I want to get on the mound one last time and compete, and try to win that game for the Detroit Tigers.”
Then came this line, almost with a grin: “All I have to do is not do anything stupid between now and Saturday, and everything should be fine.”
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