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One of the greatest pitchers in baseball history will hang up his cleats after this season.
Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander announced Wednesday that the 2026 season will be his last.
In the midst of an injury-riddled season with the Detroit Tigers, Verlander decided it was time to leave.
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander watches from the dugout during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday, June 21, 2026. (David Rodriguez-Munoz/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“This season challenged me in ways I had never experienced before, both physically and mentally. I always believed that as long as I could compete at the level I expected of myself, I would continue to play. 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 few months, I realized that the had come,” Verlander said in a social media post.
“While I am fully committed to giving my team everything I have for the remainder of this season, I have decided that this will be my last. It is only fitting that I end up where it all began: with the Detroit Tigers, the organization that drafted me and gave me my first opportunity.”
Verlander signed a one-year deal with the Tigers in the offseason, with whom he spent his first 12 1/2 seasons before being traded to the Houston Astros. There he returned to dominance, winning his two World Series titles and two of his Cy Young Awards.
“Baseball has given me more than I could have imagined. It has taught me discipline, resilience and the importance of continuing to adapt and evolve. I have had the chance to play with and against incredible players, for exceptional organizations, and to compete in front of fans who deeply appreciate the game,” Verlander added in his announcement.
Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros celebrates on the field after the Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 of the 2022 World Series at Minute Maid Park on Saturday, November 5, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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“To all the teammates, coaches, players, goalkeepers and supporters who have been part of this journey, thank you. It has been a privilege to share the pitch with you. To my family, especially my wife Kate, thank you for being by my side through every season, through every rehabilitation and through every up and down. I have.”
Verlander is the active leader with 3,554 strikeouts, which places him eighth all-time. He needs 21 to surpass Don Sutton and 87 to surpass Tom Seaver.
The 43-year-old made his MLB debut in 2005 and won the American League Rookie of the Year award the following season, which was just a small taste of what was to come.
Verlander was a Cy Young Award finalist four other times, consistently placing at the top of the rankings in almost every pitching statistic. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred granted Verlander a legend’s exemption for this year’s Midsummer Classic, making him a 10-time All-Star.
You could argue that Verlander should have at least one more Cy Young Award under his belt, but he’s nonetheless on the fast track to Cooperstown and very much in the conversation to join Mariano Rivera as the only player unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame.
Verlander’s best season came in 2022, when he achieved a career-best 1.75 ERA with a 0.829 WHIP. However, this came after he missed the entire 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery for an injury he suffered after pitching just one inning during the abbreviated 2020 season.
Verlander delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees during the MLB ALCS baseball playoff series in Detroit on October 16, 2012.
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He won his first Cy Young Award in 2011, when he also received the MVP Award, and his second in 2019. Verlander’s 11 seasons between his first and last Cy Young Awards are second only to Roger Clemens, who had 18 seasons between his first and seventh.
Verlander led the majors in innings and WHIP four times while recording the most strikeouts in three seasons.
