Former Tigers Dynamic Duo Among Best Pitchers of Last Quarter Century

There was a time when the Detroit Tigers rotation had two of the best pitchers of the last 25 seasons.

May 11, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (left) and starting pitcher Justin Verlander (right) watches from the dugout against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

One was drafted by the Detroit Tigers. The other was acquired in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

For five incredible seasons, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer anchored the Tigers’ rotation and thrilled fans with some of the best seasons in team history.

Earlier this week, the pair were rewarded with inclusion on The Athletic’s (subscription required) all-quarter century team, an assembly of the best players from 2000-25.

Why Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer Were Picked

The right-handers didn’t start their careers as a tandem. Verlander was highly touted out of Old Dominion and selected No. 2 overall by the Tigers in 2004. He made his MLB debut a year later and pitched the first 13 seasons of his career in Motown.

As for Scherzer, he was a first-round pick out of Missouri by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006. He made his MLB debut two years later with Arizona and spent the 2009 campaign in the desert.

But, before the 2010 season, the Diamondbacks made a move, sending Scherzer to the Tigers in a three-team deal that swapped seven players.

By then, Verlander was already the American League rookie of the year, been to two All-Star Games and finished in the Top 7 of AL Cy Young voting three times. Scherzer started 2010 at Triple-A Toledo. But he eventually caught up.

In 2011, Verlander won his first AL Cy Young award as he went 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA and struck out 250 hitters. He was also named the AL MVP. Scherzer, meanwhile, went 15-9 with a 4.43 ERA and struck out 174. Detroit won the AL Central title.

Detroit won the title again in 2012 along with the AL pennant as Scherzer started to come into his own with a 16-7 record and a 3.74 ERA. Verlander went 17-8 with a 2.64 ERA. The Tigers fell short of winning the World Series.

In 2013, Scherzer won his first AL Cy Young, going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA in his breakthrough season. He also earned his first AL All-Star Game berth. Verlander struggled his standard, going 13-12 with a 3.46 ERA.

In their final season together in 2014, Scherzer went 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA and Verlander went 15-12 with a 4.54 ERA. After the season, Scherzer signed a huge deal with the Washington Nationals.

Their incredible run ended. Both moved on. Scherzer won a World Series ring with the Nationals and the Texas Rangers. Verlander won two rings with the Houston Astros. Both won more Cy Youngs and threw no-hitters.

But, for just a few seasons, the Tigers had the best in the business.