Verlander walks off mound for final time after legendary career

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.

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.

Verlander teared up following the final outing of his career when he was asked what the day meant to him and his family.

"You commit your life to something. I've been a baseball player since I was five years old. I gave everything for this. I left home, she (Genevieve) is in school and I wasn't there," Verlander told reporters, per MLB on Fox.

"There's just a level of commitment it takes to be great at something and I hope she understands she means the world to me. My family means the world to me, and I'm just so happy that I get the opportunity now to make up for lost time."

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, an AL MVP in 2011, and the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year award. He also claimed three no-hitters, two ERA titles, one pitching Triple Crown, and 10 All-Star appearances.

Verlander finished his career with more postseason strikeouts than any pitcher in history and ranks eighth all-time in punchouts.

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 World Series titles with the Astros in 2017 and 2022.