Detroit Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander delivered the final pitch of his legendary career Saturday, forcing a pop out from Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe before walking off the mound with his daughter Genevieve to a roaring ovation at Comerica Park.
Thank you, Justin Verlander 🧡
— MLB (@MLB) September 26, 2026
JV leaves the mound for the Tigers - one final time. pic.twitter.com/cQftW1cp98
The 43-year-old departed the outing after allowing two earned runs on 91 pitches while striking out six. He averaged 92.6 mph and topped out at 94 mph on his fastball during Detroit's 4-3 win. Eduardo Valencia hit a walk-off homer to end the storybook day for Verlander.
FOR JV!
— MLB (@MLB) September 26, 2026
Eduardo Valencia walks it off for the Tigers in Justin Verlander's final game 😱 pic.twitter.com/j8V9RHiAVB
The future Hall of Famer announced in July that 2026 would be the final season of his illustrious career that included three AL Cy Youngs, the 2011 AL MVP, 2006 AL Rookie of the Year, three no-hitters, a pitching Triple Crown, two ERA titles, and 10 All-Star appearances.
Verlander also finishes his career with more postseason strikeouts than any pitcher in history and ranks eighth all-time in punchouts.
| RANK | PITCHER | STRIKEOUTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nolan Ryan | 5714 |
| 2 | Randy Johnson | 4875 |
| 3 | Roger Clemens | 4672 |
| 4 | Steve Carlton | 4136 |
| 5 | Bert Blyleven | 3701 |
| 6 | Tom Seaver | 3640 |
| 7 | Don Sutton | 3574 |
| 8 | Verlander | 3560 |
| 9 | Max Scherzer | 3550 |
| 10 | Gaylord Perry | 3534 |
The 21-year MLB veteran was selected second overall by the Tigers in the 2004 draft out of Old Dominion. He spent 14 campaigns with the Tigers, seven with the Houston Astros, and one season each with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants.
Verlander won two World Series titles with the Astros in 2017 and 2022.
