“Wheels Are Falling off,” 10x All-Star Justin Verlander Opens up About Retirement Decision Before Final Start

Justin Verlander will face the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday at Comerica Park in his 557th and final start of his 21-year career.

“Wheels Are Falling off,” 10x All-Star Justin Verlander Opens up About Retirement Decision Before Final Start

Justin Verlander (Image via X/@mlbtraderumors)

This coming Saturday, Justin Verlander will make his final start of his 21-year career. Ahead of his retirement, the veteran opened up about his plans to call it a day and claimed that his wheels were “falling” off.

Earlier this year, Verlander returned where it all started for him. He signed a 1-year, $13 million deal with the Detroit Tigers and returned to the AL Central side.

At the start, there was some expectation that he would be part of the Tigers’ pitching rotation. Unfortunately for him, he suffered hip inflammation on April 1 when his team was on the road. He was expected to return in June but suffered a left hamstring strain, which delayed his return.

The 3-time Cy Young Award winner had previously expressed his desire to pitch well into his 40’s. Age has certainly caught up to him. On Saturday, he will take to the mound and face the Pittsburgh Pirates in his 557th and final start.

During his recent appearance on the On Base With Mookie Betts podcast, the right-handed pitcher opened up about his decision to retire. He admitted that his wheels were falling off and expressed frustration at not contributing much this year.

I’ve said for my entire career, I want to play till the wheels are falling off. You know, here it goes. The wheels are falling off. … Wanted to be part of something special here. So that’s been really frustrating.

Justin Verlander said

Verlander’s final start this Saturday will be his first start at Comerica Park since August 2017. He spent his first 13 seasons with the Tigers, winning the Triple Crown in 2011. That year saw him win the AL Cy Young and AL MVP awards.

In 2017, he was traded to the Houston Astros, where he won 2 more Cy Young Awards at the ages of 36 and 39. He also won 2 World Series titles during his time in Houston and cemented himself as one of the all-time greats.

In 2023, he moved to New York and joined the New York Mets. This saw him reunite with his former Tigers teammate Max Scherzer. However, he did not have the best of times and struggled here. In August, he got traded to the Astros, bringing an end to an unsuccessful stint in the NL East.

In 2025, he joined the San Francisco Giants and went 4-11 in 29 starts while posting a 3.85 ERA. After becoming a free agent once again, he signed with the Tigers and made his return to Detroit.

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Justin Verlander is going to give his best shot in his final game

Justin Verlander is set to make his final trip to the pitcher’s mound in an MLB game this Saturday. He, though, does not want it to be a one-inning send-off and is planning to give his best shot in his final game.

Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander (Image via X/@BRWalkoff)

For the Tigers, the season is already over. After back-to-back ALDS exits, the team did not have a pleasant season this time out and missed out on the playoffs. On top of that, they will also end the campaign with a negative record.

So for Verlander, there is not much at stake in his final outing. However, the pitcher wants his final start to be competitive and will give his all, according to manager A.J. Hinch.

He doesn’t want the one-inning sendoff. He’s going to give his best shot to have as close to a normal game as he can.

A.J Hinch said regarding Justin Verlander as per MLB.com

In 556 starts, Verlander has a 266-159 record with a 3.33 career ERA. He is one of the 20 members of the 3,000-strikeout club and sits 8th on the all-time list for the most strikeouts at 3,554. When the time comes, he will most likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

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