Detroit Tigers future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander is making the final start of his MLB career on Saturday. While it is emotional, Verlander wants to pitch well and turn in a strong final start. One underlying storyline surrounding the situation is the strikeout battle between Verlander and his former Tigers teammate and current Toronto Blue Jays hurler, Max Scherzer.
Verlander entered Saturday ranked eighth in all-time strikeouts with a mark of 3,554. Scherzer, meanwhile, is ninth with 3,550 strikeouts. Verlander has already confirmed that he's retiring after the season. Scherzer hasn't closed the door on returning next year, but he is a candidate to retire as well.
However, Scherzer wants to pitch on Sunday despite the fact that the Blue Jays are already eliminated from postseason contention. He says his desire to pitch at least one more time in his career doesn't stem from his strikeout battle with his former Tigers teammate, though.
Article Continues Below“Max Scherzer says he's been texting with Justin Verlander, who starts today for the Tigers. He also insists that pitching tomorrow has nothing to do with their strikeout totals. ‘I hope he goes out there and strikes out the world today,'” Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reported Saturday.
Verlander can add more strikeouts to his career total on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although Scherzer may not be pitching for the purpose of remaining competitive in this strikeout battle with Verlander, it will be a storyline worth following on Sunday. Either way, both pitchers are in the top 10 of all-time strikeouts.