DETROIT — Justin Verlander had just retired the leadoff batter in the sixth inning of his major league finale when Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch walked from the dugout toward home plate. The pitcher’s 7-year-old daughter suddenly sprinted to the mound.
“That completely blindsided me, and it hit me like a ton of bricks,” Verlander said.
A stellar career for the 43-year-old right-hander ended with a 4-3, come-from-behind win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. Verlander’s emotions will be remembered far more than the score on a meaningless game on the next-to-last day of his 21st big league season.
“That was amazing. I was sobbing and had to make sure that she understood I was happy,” Verlander said. “She’s never seen me cry like that.”
Genevieve Verlander, wearing a Tigers jersey with her dad’s name and No. 35, saw her cue from Hinch and ran. When she reached the mound she hugged her father, who reached down to embrace her and started shaking.
Hinch joined them about 25 seconds later for another hug, and then Verlander was surrounded by Tigers teammates who came to the mound.
Hinch had planned Genevieve’s mound trip with Verlander’s wife, model Kate Upton,
“It’s hard to surprise a guy who has everything planned and mapped out more than any human I’ve ever been around,” said Hinch, who managed Verlander to the 2017 World Series title with Houston. “We wanted to come up with something special, and his family means everything to him.”
A 10-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner, Verlander left the field from his final mound appearance grasping his daughter’s hand as the Comerica Park crowd gave him a standing ovation.
Upton, holding 1-year-old son Bellamy, joined Justin and Genevieve for a group hug on the warning track in front of the Tigers dugout, and Justin high-fived teammates and doffed his cap to the crowd before descending the dugout steps with his family.
“I’ve obviously talked a lot about how my life has changed and how my family is what I’m looking forward to most in my retirement,” the pitcher said. “Walking off the field with them to end my career is as good as I could have dreamed.”
Hinch brought Miguel Cabrera’s family onto the field when he came out of his final game in 2023.
“They don’t normally let non-uniformed people onto the field,” Hinch said. “But they make exceptions for guys who are going to be first-ballot Hall of Famers.”
In all, there was a 5½-minute wait until reliever Tyler Kinley threw his first pitch.
Verlander allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings with one walk and six strikeouts in his 91-pitch outing. He was making his second start of the year and first since March 30 in a season derailed by a sore hip and hamstring injury.
“He didn’t want a cameo. He wanted today to be a competitive outing, and we could tell in the third and fourth innings that he wasn’t laboring,” Hinch said. “He certainly left us with a reminder of why he’s one of the best of all time.”
Eduardo Valencia’s game-ending homer in Detroit’s 4-3 meant Verlander didn’t take a loss in his finale. He ended 266-159 with a 3.33 ERA and 3,560 strikeouts, eighth on the career list.
“That was a great finish to a great day,” Hinch said. “There was no way Justin Verlander was going to take the loss in his last game as a Tiger.”
Pittsburgh’s fifth batter, 20-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin, had not been born when Verlander made his debut for the Tigers on July 4, 2005.
Verlander received a standing ovation when he headed to the bullpen to warm up and a longer one when he returned to the dugout before the first pitch. Academy Award winning actor J.K. Simmons, a longtime Tigers fan, announced him as part of Detroit’s starting lineup.
Verlander took the field for the first inning to another ovation. He was alone on the field as his teammates stayed in the dugout to give him the spotlight.
“That blindsided me, too,” he said. “I probably should have expected it, but I was trying to stick with my routine, so I ran out onto the field. I was ready to go before I realized everyone else was still in the dugout.”
Pittsburgh took a 2-0 lead against Verlander on solo homers by Lowe in the fourth and Nick Gonzales in the fifth, the first on a 89.7 mph fastball and the second on a curve.
Verlander pitched for the Tigers from 2005-17, then returned this year after time with Houston, the New York Mets and San Francisco.
“All the ovations today brought back a lot of fond memories of the old days here, when this park was raucous every night,” Verlander said. “My body, though, didn’t remind me of those days at all.”
