Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander has long known that his career was going to end. But it took him a while to realize it would end this season.
"I honestly didn't envision this being my last season, but that's the way things go," Verlander said before the game Tuesday, Sept. 22, against the Washington Nationals at Comerica Park. "[I] slowly came to that realization through the course of the year when I just couldn't get back out there, so that's been quite difficult. But I've come to terms with it and feel good about where things are at, and I've been so thankful."
The Tigers on Tuesday announced Verlander as the starter for Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park, the penultimate game of the Tigers' season and the second
of a two-day celebration of Verlander's career.
Verlander has been rehabbing from injuries for five-and-a-half months but has had several setbacks since making his only start of the season on March 20, before announcing his retirement in July while staying focused on returning at some point in the season.
And with Verlander, 43, successfully completing a bullpen session Tuesday, he checked the final box to get him on the mound in an MLB game one last time.
In some ways, Saturday's game will be a fairly uneventful competition, with both the Tigers (74-83) and Pirates (79-77) eliminated from playoff contention. Verlander himself is mostly treating this like a typical start, saying he would like to "try to win the Detroit Tigers a ballgame."
But with a 21-year MLB career to reflect on, even Verlander acknowledged how important a moment Saturday would be for him, for the Tigers and for the city.
What Saturday's game could look like
No matter how well Verlander pitches on Saturday, don't expect him to be out there for a long start – especially if he's not putting the Tigers in a position to win.
"We would love the nine-inning, no-hitter send-off, but [Verlander] is not really built up to do all of that," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's made it perfectly clear that he doesn't want the one-inning send off, come out in the second inning and off he goes. He's going to give it his best shot to have as close to a normal game as he can."
Verlander echoed that sentiment, but knows he'll be battling extra challenges getting ready for his last-ever start – and not just with the physical ailments that have made his rehab a longer-than-expected process.
"It's going to be difficult," he said. "There's a lot of emotion going through, but also some angst to go pitch. And obviously I want to go pitch well. So trying to do everything I possibly can to allow that to happen. A lot of different feelings right now."
The Tigers have been cautious with Verlander's rehab process throughout 2026, weathering through multiple stops and starts as the veteran struggled to bring his velocity up to a competitive level. But Hinch said that Verlander "passed the test" with his recent live bullpen session, with the start looking like not just a token appearance, but a sincere decision with the intention to win.
Of course, that won't be the only thing the Tigers will be focused on, with the team designating the weekend series as a days-long celebration.
"I joked with our team, it'll be a long celebration, because we're going to do it Friday, Saturday, [a little bit] on Sunday," Hinch said.
And with all the attention paid to Verlander this weekend, the three-time Cy Young Award winner said he is going to break from his usual pregame rituals.
"I don't think I'm gonna put the headphones on, I'm not gonna not talk to people, that's not what this is about. If I still need that to keep me focused for the last game I'll ever pitch, something's wrong," he said. "Just looking forward to trying to balance absorbing as much as I can with wanting to be competitive and go out there and give it everything I have, literally."
What this season has meant for Verlander
Verlander signed with the Tigers ahead of the 2026 season with the intention of contributing to a pennant chase, a plan that first derailed after his first start in March and derailed further with Detroit's 6-22 record in May, plunging the Tigers into a hole they never clawed out of.
And with Verlander's Hall-of-Fame-worthy resume already solidified, few would have blamed the veteran for spending the interim time winding down at home. But he has spent the entire 2026 season rehabbing, spending time in the clubhouse, in the dugout and on road trips as a full-fledged player, even when he was nowhere close to entering a game.
"I didn't sign here to just ride off at the sunset," Verlander said. "Ever since I went on the Il the first time, it's always working towards getting back pitching ... so as long as I was working towards something, I felt like I should be around the guys and be part of the team."
His presence rubbed off on his teammates, including reliever Kyle Finnegan, who wore a Verlander t-shirt while taking questions from the media before Tuesday's game.
"I think he understands you can be an asset to the team even when you can't play on the field," Finnegan said. "He stepped into the fatherly role for some of the younger players, and he's experienced everything in this game. So he has something for everyone."
"He's got incredible baseball knowledge, obviously being around this game at the major league level for as long as he has," said Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson on Tuesday. "He's helped everyone in this locker just being here and talking shop."
Even though the season hasn't gone to plan for Verlander, he still showed appreciation for what he has experienced coming back to where his MLB journey started.
"Whether it's in this stadium or visiting stadiums, around the city, it has meant so much to me and really helped me through this process to feel better about how this season has gone," he said.
What Verlander will do next
The visiting manager for the Pirates during this weekend's series will be one of Verlander's former teammates, Don Kelly, who played with the Tigers from 2007-14. Kelly is only three years older than Verlander but stopped playing in 2016, while Verlander's career chugged along for another decade.
"There's a lot of people I played with that are still coaching or are out coaching," Verlander said.
Which begs the question: Does Verlander want to coach after he retires?
He chose not to say.
"I honestly haven't gotten there yet," he said. "There's a lot of other things I'm looking forward to first. I'm trying not to get too far ahead in the timeline."
One of the things he's looking forward to is sharing this weekend with his 7-year-old daughter Genevieve.
"I remember when she was born, I was like, 'I want to play long enough for her to be able to remember things,'" he said. "It's really really special to be able to include her."
The weekend will be a celebration of Verlander's career and legacy, with Tigers fans getting one last opportunity to cheer on the franchise legend at Comerica Park. But it should also be a testament to Verlander's competitiveness and drive, two things that have allowed him to shine above just about every pitcher in his two-decade career.
"I've said my whole life I want to play until the wheels fall off," he said. "How many people get to call it and decide when they want to be done? Literally a handful of people in every sport in the entire world. So I'm just thankful for the opportunity to be here, to finish here, to play my career here."
Need to catch up on the news during your lunch break? Sign up for our Sports Briefing newsletter to get daily summaries of Detroit sports!
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Justin Verlander on final start: 'A lot of different feelings right now'
