DETROIT -- Justin Verlander overcame the rust of six months since his last Major League appearance, the tightness of a hamstring strain that never quite went away, and the simple truth of Father Time and 43-year-old pitchers to deliver one last afternoon of Vintage Verlander. But after 5 1/3 innings and six strikeouts against the Pirates, he couldn’t resist the sight of his daughter running to the mound to call it a career.
Nobody could.
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Verlander, tears in his eyes, left the mound with his wife and two daughters, having given everything he had left to provide one last memorable outing to cap an incredible 21-year career. Three innings after his family walked him off the mound, the Tigers walked off the Pirates on Eduardo Valencia’s two-run homer with two outs and two strikes in the ninth for a 4-3 win at Comerica Park.
Nobody, not even Verlander himself, knew how deep he’d be able to pitch, what kind of stuff he would have. His only buildup was a series of bullpen sessions and an inning of live batting practice against teammates last weekend in Chicago. More than any other start in his career, Verlander was leaning on guile, his experience of 556 previous starts and 14,636 previous batters faced. He didn’t want just a batter or two; he wanted a real outing.
Turns out, he still had a lot. Verlander retired Pittsburgh’s first four hitters in order, fanning Oneil Cruz on a slider for his 3,555th career strikeout to lead off the second inning.
He gave up a one-out single to rookie Konnor Griffin, who wasn’t even born when Verlander made his MLB debut in 2005, but was visibly pumped when catcher Dillon Dingler threw out Griffin trying to steal second base.
Verlander had been searching for his 95 mile-per-hour fastball since Spring Training. He reached back and found it to fan Henry Davis in the third inning, then sent a 94.4 mph heater past Ryan O’Hearn.
Brandon Lowe broke up Verlander’s scoreless outing, jumping Verlander’s fastball on the first pitch of the fourth inning for a home run. Jacob Gonzalez hit a hanging curveball deep for another solo homer with two outs in the fifth.
In between the homers, Verlander retired five consecutive batters, fanning three of them, including a slider just off the outside corner that drew a called third strike from plate umpire Laz Diaz, also retiring at season’s end. Verlander threw another 95 mph fastball on his 66th pitch.
Zach McKinstry’s ninth outfield assist of the year rescued Verlander from further damage in the fifth. Verlander came back out for the sixth and retired Lowe on a pop-up in foul territory behind first base before Hinch came out of the dugout.
As Hinch readied to take the ball, Verlander’s seven-year-old daughter Genevieve – who threw Friday’s ceremonial first pitch to her dad from the mound – ran to the same mound to give her dad a hug. His teammates circled the mound to give their congratulations.
The “J.V.” chants echoed around the ballpark as Verlander descended the dugout steps with his wife and kids. He finished his career with 266 wins, a 3.33 ERA and 3,560 strikeouts, eighth-most in Major League history.