Justin Verlander announced Wednesday that he will retire at the end of the 2026 season, his 21st in Major League Baseball and his return to Detroit, the city where it all began.
He is 43 years old, the oldest active player in the league, and one of the greatest pitchers who ever took the mound.
"It just felt like I was plugging holes in a boat," Verlander said at a news conference at Comerica Park. "When you kind of put everything together and consider everything, I've been kind of trending toward this decision for quite a while."
Commissioner Rob Manfred named Verlander a Legend Pick for the All-Star Game in Philadelphia next week, his 10th career All-Star selection.
He intends to pitch in the second half and contribute to a Tigers team that is quietly making noise in the AL Central.
The career he is retiring from is the kind that ends conversations about Hall of Fame eligibility before they start. Three Cy Young Awards, 2011, 2019 and 2022, the last one at age 39 coming back from Tommy John surgery.
Two World Series championships with Houston. The 2011 AL MVP. 266 career wins, most among all active players. 3,554 career strikeouts, eighth all time. Tim Kurkjian said on ESPN simply:
"No doubt he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer."
He was a 2004 first-round pick out of Old Dominion. He struck out 250 batters in 251 innings in his MVP season.
He threw three career no-hitters. He did it across 21 years, seven teams and enough surgeries to fill a medical textbook. He still wants to pitch. He will pitch. And then he will be done.