True storybook moments deserve something like this, a surprise, magical ending – and that’s exactly what this was for the Detroit Tigers. A tear-filled, heart-melting walk off before the walk-off.
Justin Verlander had thrown the last pitch of his Hall of Fame career, after draining everything possible out of his right arm; he waited on the mound to be taken out of his final game in Comerica Park on Saturday, Sept. 26.
He stood still, as if soaking in the moment.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch marched toward home plate and motioned to the stands – a secret signal that had been in the works for some time. “He's a really hard guy to surprise,” Hinch said. “He's as planned out and mapped out of any human I've ever been around. So, I contacted Kate [Upton,
Verlander’s wife], a little while ago, and just tried to think about ways that we could make a special moment for him.”
Nothing means more to Verlander than his family. So, that was the surprise: Bringing his family to this special moment.
Verlander looked up and here came Genevieve, his 7-year-old daughter, sprinting across the Comerica Park diamond, all arms and legs, flashing an adorable missing-tooth smile, her dark hair waving back and forth.
Verlander broke into a smile and then started sobbing, all of the pent-up emotion crashing down, as he leaned down and wrapped his arms around Genevieve, standing right there on the mound, after an absolutely electric, unbelievable performance.
It was one of the coolest moments I’ve ever seen at a sporting event.
“It felt very storybook, and it's so Justin,” said Upton, a native Michigander and Verlander’s supermodel wife. “That is – that's the most Justin Verlander thing I've ever seen”
Verlander started bawling, while trying to reassure his daughter that she did nothing wrong, and in that moment, the cape fell to the mound and the superhero pitcher melted into a dad.
“Was totally blindsided, and it hit me like a ton of bricks,” Verlander said. “That was amazing. I was sobbing and had to tell her, like, just to make sure that she understood I was happy.”
After hugging his teammates, Verlander walked off the field, holding his daughter’s hand. Near the dugout, he found Upton, who was holding Bellamy, their 15-month-old toddler.
And they closed into a giant hug.
Then, they walked toward the dugout, down the steps and disappeared into the tunnel, as the crowd chanted: “J-V! J-V! J-V!”
“That’s when it really hit him,” Upton said.
It was a magical walk off before the magical walk-off. Because in the ninth inning, Eduardo Valencia, the Tigers' rookie catcher, hit a game-ending homer to give the Tigers a 4-3 win.
“It was a great finish to a great day,” Hinch said. “I mean, there's no way Justin Verlander gets a loss in his last game as a Tiger, right?
Wild, surreal day for Verlander
Everything about this day was surreal.
Like watching the Tigers walk into the clubhouse wearing T-shirts with Verlander pictures ripped from social media. Hinch picked one with Verlander out golfing.
“I took the one that had his golf swing, which is something that I love,” Hinch said. “I'm just assuming it was at one of the top five courses in the country because he's Justin Verlander and has access to just about any course in the country.”
Or watching Verlander warm up in the outfield, as videos played on the giant scoreboard, seemingly over his shoulder, all of them honoring his Hall of Fame career.
Or when he warmed up in the bullpen, as row after row of fans stood – I counted 12 rows deep – all of them holding their phones over their heads, trying to capture every second. This was a day to savor. For some, it was like watching the end of their childhood. They grew up with him wearing the Old English "D."
Or when he tried to stand still, but rocked back and forth during the National Anthem, and during a quiet moment in the song, a fan screamed: “We love you, Justin!”
As Verlander walked to the dugout, different sections of fans stood up and greeted him, like a spontaneous true-life human wave.
“The vibe in the stadium was – from the second I walked on the field, just really incredible,” Verlander said. “It brought back some some really some really fond memories of the days when this ballpark was absolutely raucous every single night. But body wise, no, I did not feel like those times. No, not at all.”
When he went to the mound to pitch the first inning, none of his teammates went out with him. They stayed in the dugout, a tribute to this Tigers legend, one of the best to ever play in Detroit.
“They caught me off guard,” Verlander said. “They didn't tell me. … I should have seen it coming.”
But even though Verlander has had a great career, no one knew what this day would bring.
He had pitched only one MLB game this year and that was back in March. Since then, he tried to rehab – working like crazy behind the scenes to come back – but his body kept breaking down, delaying his return until it was almost too late.
After announcing that he would retire after this season, he made one final goal: Make it back for one game – one last start in Comerica Park.
Sure, he pitched in some simulated games, pitching against teammates. But he never threw more than 21 pitches. Never throwing harder than 92 mph. Never even did a true rehab start.
So, what would happen on this highly unusual day?
Would he pitch just one inning? Would the Pirates rock him? Would his arm hold up? How about the hamstring? His body was breaking down, telling him that it was the right time to leave the game. He was banking on adrenaline and two decades of experience and the emotion of pitching in Comerica Park one last time to fuel him.
He had, he said, “no clue how my game was going to go and how I was going to feel, so I was hoping to be able to go long enough to get a decision.”
Then, something absolutely amazing happened. He pitched 5⅓ innings, recording six strikeouts while giving up two runs (on solo homers), gutting it out. Even more amazing than that, somehow, unbelievably, his arm held up through 91 pitches.
Because he’s freakin’ Justin Verlander. And this was one of the most Justin Verlander moments ever.
“He was excellent,” Hinch said. “I amazed by his performance today. … I'm amazed that he was able to dial it up one last time when everybody was hoping for it, but no one really knew what to expect.”
Still, there were signs that he was done. That he had nothing left. His velocity started to dip and he started to wear down.
“It's the first time he's ever admitted that he's tired,” Hinch said. “So maybe that that makes it time to you know to for the next the next step in life.
And it was one final act for this amazing career that included three Cy Young awards, the AL MVP award, the pitching Triple Crown, two World Series rings and three no-hitters.
How did he put it during his farewell speech on Friday?
"I am, and always will be, a Detroit Tiger," Verlander said,
He was in the Tigers clubhouse when Valencia hit his homer: “I'm being honest. I was watching them get the champagne ready for A.J.'s toast to me, so I heard somebody say, 'Oh my God!'”
Verlander shows emotion
After the game, he did a press conference and his wife sat in the back of the room.
“Justin, just thinking about your daughter again,” a reporter asked. “She's at a great age because she's going to remember all of this stuff that's happening. But as she gets older, what do you want her to understand about why all this matters to you?”
The emotion started bubbling under the surface.
“I gave everything for this,” he said. “I left home; she's in school, and I wasn't there.”
The emotion hit again. Or the guilt at what it takes to pursue a career like this. Always gone.
He went quiet, trying to control his sobs.
“There's just a level of commitment it takes to be great at something,” he said. “I hope she understands. She means the world to me. My family means the world to me. I'm happy that I get the opportunity now to make up for lost time.”
That's the next stage now. You know what he sounded like?
He sounded like a super hero who dropped his cape on the mound and melted into a dad.
A dad who is headed to the Hall of Fame.
Goodbye, Justin.
Forever a Tiger.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Justin Verlander's Tigers finale: 'Great finish to a great day'
