Your bag is empty.
Justin Verlander will be in the Hall of Fame when he’s done pitching. The MLB star may not have to wait too long, either. Verlander announced recently that this would be his final season as an MLB player. Retirement waits for whenever he and the Detroit Tigers are done playing, whether that’s at the end of the season or in the playoffs.
Justin Verlander confirms retirement plans after making All-Star Game
This summer, Justin Verlander will be on the AL’s All-Star Game roster. He made it as this year’s legend pick, which is extremely fitting since the legend later confirmed that this is his final ride. He’s going to retire once the season is over. Verlander spent plenty of time thinking about it and made his decision.
For Verlander, the time has simply come. “It just felt like I was plugging holes in a boat,” he told reporters at an announcement press conference on Wednesday. “When you kind of put everything together and consider everything, I’ve been kind of trending toward this decision for quite a while.”
Verlander is the oldest player in Major League Baseball this year. He’s made one start and spent the rest of the season on the Injured List. He still plans to return and pitch again, hopefully soon, though his initial June 21 return date has long since been pushed back.
“I’ve been fortunate to play with and against incredible players, for outstanding organizations, and compete in front of fans who deeply appreciate the game,” Verlander said. As for the All-Star Game, Verlander said it’s one final opportunity to “cherish” something about this game. This is his 10th career All-Star Game.
Playoffs?
The longer the Detroit Tigers stay alive, the longer Justin Verlander’s career will last. He’s done when they’re done. Unfortunately, they’re eight games under .500 at this point and have not looked a whole lot like a playoff team.
Despite that, they are one of just six teams with a positive run differential in the AL. They’re also only 5.5 games back of first in the division and four back of a Wild Card spot. They are also 7-3 in their last 10, so they’ve been trending up. Verlander’s return could help that, although he was not very good in his lone start so far this year.
“I do want to focus on playing the rest of the season,” the longtime pitcher said. “I think there will be a time to really sit here and reminisce and focus more on the actual retirement. Right now, my focus is still to get out there and be the best version of myself I can be for this team. We are playing great baseball right now, and things are going well, and we’re trending in the right direction.”
He added that he’s “champing at the bit” to help his team get back into the playoffs. Assuming Detroit retains Tarik Skubal past the trade deadline, they will have a good chance to go on a run and sneak into the playoffs, potentially giving Verlander one more October appearance in his illustrious MLB career.
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