Tigers Set Final Farewell for Franchise Legend Justin Verlander
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It has been a disappointing season for the Detroit Tigers. They went into 2026 with World Series aspirations and will instead finish well under .500 and out of the playoffs.
Truly, this year boiled down to a below-average bullpen that blew far too many opportunities for this ballclub. So a starting rotation that once featured Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, and Justin Verlander now only hosts the future Hall of Fame member, as both Skubal and Mize were traded away at the deadline.
Verlander, however, has barely pitched this season, as he has only gone 3 & 2/3 innings in his lone appearance, as he has dealt with a left hamstring strain and left hip inflammation for most of the season. Still, there was hope that he would take the mound one more time before calling it an end to his lucrative career.
Well, that wish has finally been granted as fans, as well as the coaching staff, held their breath as Verlander needed to get through one more bullpen with ease before the news became official, but that day has finally come.
Tigers beat writer Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reported that the veteran got through it without any trouble, and he is now a go for Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Win or lose, this is the final homestand of the season and Verlander's last start of his career, so everyone should be cheering for Detroit.
Looking Back at Verlander’s Time in Detroit
It has been a year of young guns as the offense has been led by guys like Kevin McGonigle, while the pitching staff has seen Troy Melton emerge as a real threat, which ultimately makes it easy to reminisce about Verlander when his career first started out.
The 43-year-old was taken No.2 overall back in the 2004 draft by the Tigers, and the place where he has stayed there since he was traded in a down year during the 2016 season. In that time, he won his first Cy Young Award before going on to win two more with the Houston Astros.
It is nearly impossible to fathom that Verlander has been able to go as long as he has and at the level he has. While it was less than ideal for both Verland and the Tigers this year, it is more than fitting that he finishes his major league tenure off right where he started.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.