DETROIT – Detroit Tigers star Justin Verlander announced he will retire at the end of the 2026 season.
Verlander, 43, spent 13 years with the Tigers from 2005-2017 before he was traded midseason to the Houston Astros. He returned this offseason as a free agent, but has missed all but one start due to injuries.
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Verlander won 183 games with Detroit while posting a 3.49 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 2,511 innings from 2005-2017. He struck out 2,373 batters.
Verlander made six All-Star teams in Detroit and won the 2011 AL Cy Young and MVP awards. He finished top-five in Cy Young voting four times from 2007-2012.
When he went to Houston, Verlander got even better. He won two World Series rings and posted a 2.71 ERA and 0.918 WHIP across 810.1 innings.
Last season, Verlander got off to a rough start, going 0-8 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. But from July 23 onward, Verlander posted a 2.60 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP while striking out 70 batters in 72.2 innings.
It was a fun signing, and one that could have bolstered the Tigers’ rotation. But it ultimately hasn’t worked out.
Verlander allowed five earned runs across 3.2 innings in his first and only start of the season against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 30. He hit the injured list afterward and was set to return in mid-June, before another injury.
“I’ve always said that I want to play until the wheels fall off,” Verlander said at the time. “And, I don’t know, maybe they are falling off. I hope not.”
On Wednesday, July 8, Verlander was named to the American League All-Star team as the commissioner’s “Legend Pick.”
Verlander posted on X shortly afterward, announcing his impending retirement.
— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) July 8, 2026
Since he currently sits at 266 career wins, Verlander will fall short of the increasingly rare milestone of 300.