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Justin Verlander officially retired from MLB after spending 21 seasons in the league. Now that his Hall of Fame playing career is behind him, it didn’t take long before he made his return to the sport.
Verlander joined the “MLB on FOX Pregame” crew on Tuesday night alongside Kevin Burkhardt, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz. Making his TV studio debut, he opened up about his decision to retire and reflected on what went into finally calling it a career.
“It was pretty easy,” Verlander said. “I made my first start of the season and my leg started hurting. I’ve said my entire career, man, I love this game. I love giving it everything I got. I’m going to play until the wheels fall off. The arm held out great, but the leg gave out on me.”
It’s hard to imagine a more fitting farewell to Verlander’s legendary career. As he prepared to walk off the mound for the last time after allowing two runs over 5 ⅓ innings with six strikeouts, the 43-year-old was greeted by his daughter on the field. The two hugged, causing Verlander to start visibly crying with his teammates surrounding him on the mound – making for an unforgettable, emotional moment between father and daughter.
If Verlander was going to say goodbye to the game for good, it’s the kind of fairytale ending almost every pitcher dreams of.
“It still hits me,” Verlander said. “There’s so many thoughts going through your head, obviously just leading up to such an emotional weekend. Then to just be completely blindsided and look over and see my daughter running at me. It obviously hit me and it was pretty special.”
Verlander leaves behind an exceptional legacy.
Over his 21 seasons in the league, he built a Hall of Fame résumé highlighted by two World Series titles, three Cy Young Awards and an American League MVP. However, what Verlander reflected on most was his durability and ability to maintain an elite workload year after year.
“I’m most proud of the volume,” explained Verlander, who threw 3,802 ⅔ innings between the regular season and postseason in his career. “I really pride myself on taking the ball and just being out there for as many pitches as the game would allow. When I look back, I always said that if I’m out there for every start the numbers fall where they may, but [at least] I’m doing my job.”
Verlander has given more to the game than most, becoming one of just 19 pitchers in MLB history to play 21 seasons or more. As he steps off the mound for good, fans can look forward to seeing him share his insights from behind the analyst desk.
