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Justin Verlander’s retirement marks the end of an era we’ll never see again | Opinion

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We knew this day was eventually coming, but man, it still hurts.

We wanted him to pitch forever.

We wanted him to join that illustrious 300-victory club, selfishly knowing we will never see it again.

The news stung Wednesday that Justin Verlander was calling it career at the conclusion of the Detroit Tigers’ season.

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“This season has challenged me in ways I haven’t experienced before, both physically and mentally,” Verlander said in his social media post. “I’ve always believed that as long as I could compete at the level I expect of myself, I’d keep playing. I never wanted to retire because of a milestone, a number, or a date on the calendar. I wanted the game to tell me when it was time.

“Over the last several months, I’ve realized that time has come.”

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See future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander and Kate Upton through the years

Justin Verlander and wife Kate Upton celebrate after the Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1, in Game 6 to win the World Series at Minute Maid Park on Nov. 5, 2022 in Houston.

(Rob Carr, Getty Images)

But before he puts on the uniform for the last time, he still plans to step on the mound again, no matter what it takes.

“I’m fully committed to giving my team everything I have,” he said, “for the rest of this season.”

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I saw his first start of the season in Arizona in March, and like everyone else, was eagerly looking forward to him stepping back on the mound in Detroit, and hearing the thunderous ovation from Tigers’ fans witnessing his return home.

Now, four months later, we’re still waiting, hoping he can pitch again before the season ends.

If we dare dream, we’d love to see him pitching one more time in the World Series.

Verlander, 43, will be remembered as one the greatest pitchers of his generation. He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and who knows, perhaps a unanimous Hall of Famer.

This is a man who won three Cy Young awards and an MVP award. He won 266 games, ranking 37th all-time. He has 3,554 strikeouts, ranking eighth in history. He joins Dodgers great Don Newcombe as the only players in MLB history to win the rookie of the year, Cy Young and MVP awards in his career. He’s also one of just six pitchers in history to throw three no-hitters.

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What I’ll remember is that he was an ultimate gamer, a workhorse, who wasn’t worrying about pitch counts. He couldn’t care less about fatigue. He never wanted to come out of games. He pitched more than 200 innings 12 times in his 21-year career, including eight seasons in a row, leading the league in innings four times.

It’s a marvelous gesture by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to select Verlander as a “legend pick” to be at the 2026 All-Star Game. He’s on the 60-day IL with hip and hamstring injuries, but man, wouldn’t it be something for Verlander to get that thunderous ovation to throw out one of the ceremonial first pitches?

This file photo from Oct. 13, 2011 shows Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander delivering a pitch during the eighth inning of Game 5 of the 2011 ALCS against the Rangers at Comerica Park in Detroit.

This will be Verlander’s 10th All-Star appearance, and his first with the Tigers since 2013, resurrecting memories when he was on that star-studded Tigers’ staff with Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello and Doug Fister. Verlander later won two World Series championships with the Houston Astros, but it still bothers him to this day that he and the Tigers didn’t win in 2013, knocked off by the Boston Red Sox.

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Verlander loved showing young pitchers what it takes to be an ace of a staff, and as much as folks want to say that wins are an overrated stat for starting pitchers, it meant everything to Verlander.

Winning games means that you’re pitching deep into games.

Winning games means that you’re out-pitching the other pitcher.

Winning games means that you are doing absolutely everything in your power to win games.

That was Verlander, who badly wanted to be last 300-game winner, no matter how old he got, but damn it if Father Time didn’t get him too.

“It’s a different conversation now than it was last year when I seemed to be really healthy,” Verlander told reporters two weeks ago, “a lot of thoughts that I’m going to have to take into consideration. My family is up here with me now. My son is turning 1, my daughter is 7. There’s a lot of things that are also going on in my life that are a draw away from the game.

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“But I’ve always said I want to play until the wheels fall off. I don’t know, maybe they are falling off. I hope not.”

Well, it looks like they have, but no matter how many starts Verlander has left in him, or if he can’t return, memories will never be forgotten.

He has been a living legend, wearing the Old English D with pride, and his jersey, No. 35, will one day be officially retired by the Tigers.

The man gave everything he had to the organization, and really, to all of baseball. He was an ultimate role model on and off the field.

When he leaves, and takes off his uniform for the final time, we may never see another one like him, and perhaps never another 250-game winner again.

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“I hope it happens,” Verlander told USA TODAY Sports, in March, “but the way the game is now, I kind of doubt it.”

Agree.

Say farewell to the end of an era, and one of the greatest pitchers we’ll ever see.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Verlander’s retirement marks the end of an era we’ll never see again | Opinion

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