Reliving Justin Verlander’s Final Tigers Start Ahead of His Emotional Return
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The Detroit Tigers got the 2026 season off on the right foot, going into San Diego to take on the Padres and leaving San Diego with a 2-1 record. Before the Tigers return to Detroit to play their home opener at Comerica Park on April 3 against the St. Louis Cardinals, they remain on the West Coast.
The newest, yet probably the most familiar face in the Tigers' starting rotation, Justin Verlander, takes the ball on Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, looking to ruin another opponent's home opener. This return is almost a decade in the making for Verlander.
In 2017, just before the trade deadline, Verlander was traded to the Houston Astros, where he would later win the World Series that same season.
After stints across the MLB, Verlander returns where it all started with Detroit, and takes the mound for the first time since Aug 30, 2017, in a Tigers uniform.
Reliving Verlander's Last Start with the Tigers
The last time that Verlander was wearing a Tigers uniform during a regular-season game was against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. He earned his 10th win of the season that game, pitching as masterfully as prime Verlander could.
Going six innings, allowing three hits, one run, one walk, and collecting nine strikeouts, Verlander threw 98 pitches, 67 of which were strikes. And in case his performance on the mound wasn't enough, Verlander got an RBI single, the first of his career, helping the Tigers to a 6-2 victory.
You know it's been a long time since Verlander was in a Tigers uniform by seeing starting pitchers take at-bats in the National League. If that doesn't tell the story enough, the Rockies, though they lost that game, held a 72-61 record, compared to Detroit's 58-74 record following the victory.
Returning to the Tigers in 2026 was the right move for Verlander, and while some are holding out hope that he'll be the Verlander of old, his presence in the dugout, regardless of results on the mound, will help this franchise chase down its ultimate goal, the World Series.
Admitting to nerves when making his first spring start with Detroit in quite some time, Verlander settled in as much as he could, spring training-wise. He didn't pitch the best, but when the lights are the brightest in Arizona, Verlander knows there is business to take care of.
Who knows how long Verlander will go in the game against the Diamondbacks, but one thing is for certain: Tigers fans will remember this game regardless of the outcome. A legend of the franchise is finally home, and he still has enough in the tank to help the cause for at least one more year.
Verlander will make his return start at Comerica Park next weekend.
Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.