Three Tigers Pitchers Who Are Approaching Major Milestones in 2026
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Three legendary Detroit Tigers pitchers, three major career milestones in sight.
The 2026 MLB season could be a significant one on a number of fronts for the Tigers. On top of looking to avenge their September collapse last season and challenge for a World Series title, the team will be anchored by a starry, veteran rotation that features a trio of pitchers will significant personal milestones on the horizon.
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While much of the pitching focus will fall on new ace Framber Valdez, all of Justin Verlander, Kenley Jansen and reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal are on the cusp of some pretty lofty benchmarks in their own right.
Justin Verlander - Top-Five in All-Time Strikeouts
At 43 years of age, Verlander is back for another go-around with the organization where he spent the first 13 seasons of his illustrious career. As part of that tenure, he won AL Rookie of the Year, his first of three Cy Young awards and the 2011 AL MVP trophy, all the while helping Detroit reach the 2006 and 2012 World Series.
Along that journey (plus his stints with the Houston Astros, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants), Verlander amassed a lot of strikeouts. So many, in fact, that now the 20-year veteran is closing in on being among the most prolific strikeout artists of all-time.
Pitcher | Career Strikeouts |
|---|---|
1. Nolan Ryan | 5,714 |
2. Randy Johnson | 4,875 |
3. Roger Clemens | 4,672 |
4. Steve Carlton | 4,136 |
5. Bert Blyleven | 3,701 |
6. Tom Seaver | 3,640 |
7. Don Sutton | 3,574 |
8. Justin Verlander | 3,553 |
As it stands, Verlander sits eighth on the career K's list. If we take his 2025 campaign, in which he struck out 137 batters over 29 starts with the Giants, as a rough performance indicator, he should race past Don Sutton and also surpass Tom Seaver. The challenge will be wrestling Bert Blyleven out of the No. 5 slot, as even matching Blyleven's total would require 148 whiffs, a number he hasn't achieved since 2022.
Kenley Jansen - 500 Saves
Somewhat lost in the shuffle of an offseason that has also seen the additions of Valdez and Verlander, the Tigers also landed one of the most decorated closers of all-time this past winter.
Jansen, who is expected to handle ninth inning duties for Detroit this season, currently sits fourth all-time in saves with 476. As it stands, the 38-year-old will catch Hall of Famer Lee Smith early in the year (he's currently trailing by just two saves), but Mariano Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601) are out of reach for this season.
Therefore, Jansen's real benchmark challenge is a personal one. With 24 saves, he will hit 500 for his career, becoming the third player to do so in MLB history. Apart from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he has surpassed the 24-save mark in every season dating back to 2012. Assuming he doesn't lose the ninth inning role to Kyle Finnegan or Will Vest, 500 saves should be his this year.
Tarik Skubal - Three Straight Cy Young Awards
While many Tigers fans are, understandably, focused on Skubal's future in Detroit, his performance over what is a monumental 2026 season for both the player and the club shouldn't be overlooked. Yes, the 29-year-old ace will reach free agency after this season. But before he does, he has the chance to enter the rarefied air of three consecutive Cy Young awards.
How rare is it to reel off three straight Cy Young's? Up to now, there have only been 11 pitchers (including Skubal's teammate, Verlander) to secure as many as three Cy Young awards in their entire career. If you're looking for three straight, you won't find it ever in the American League. In the National League, only Hall of Fame pitchers Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux have ever achieved the feat.
As if the Tigers need to remind anyone of the greatness of some members of a pitching staff that may well wind up boasting three or four Hall of Famers, this season could yield some exciting team success but also some pretty impressive individual achievements.
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Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.