Detroit Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander has announced that 2026 will be his final season, ending a 21-year career that began and will end with the team that drafted him, Yankee Scores reports.
The 43-year-old right-hander announced the decision in a message posted on social media, saying the season has pushed him “in ways I haven’t experienced before, both physically and mentally”
He said he never wanted to walk away because of a number or a date, but wanted the game itself to inform him when it was time.
— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) July 8, 2026
“That understanding eventually hit during the previous several months,” he said. Verlander’s statement came hours after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred designated him a Legend Pick for the American League All-Star squad, his 10th career All-Star selection
He will be at next week’s game in Philadelphia, but he won’t throw as he remains on the 60-day injured list with hip and hamstring problems.
Verlander signed a one-year deal with the Tigers in February after spending his first 12-plus seasons with the team from 2005-17.
According to ESPN, he made one start this season, allowing five earned runs in 3.2 innings against Arizona on March 30 before injuries ended his season.
Verlander’s career figures place him among the best pitchers of his generation: 266 wins, a 3.33 ERA and 3,554 strikeouts in 21 seasons. He won three Cy Young Awards, an AL MVP Award, two World Series victories with Houston and the pitching Triple Crown in 2011.
He falls shy of the 300-win mark, but looks like a first-ballot Hall of Fame pick when he’s eligible in 2030.
