Justin Verlander announced earlier this season that 2026 would be his final campaign in the big leagues, putting an end to an illustrious 22-year career. And what better way for Verlander to put a cap to what should be a Hall of Fame career than to end it at Comerica Park with the Detroit Tigers, the team that drafted him second overall in the 2004 MLB Draft.

Verlander is scheduled to make the final start of his career on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, as announced by the Tigers' official account on X. The Tigers recently reinstated Verlander from the 60-day injured list to give him the fairytale ending any big-leaguer would dream of.

Now 43 years of age, Father Time has caught up with Verlander. He signed a one-year, $13 million deal to return to the Tigers after a solid 2025 season with the San Francisco Giants saw him put up a 3.85 ERA in 152.0 innings of work. However, Verlander has only made one start for Detroit this year after he suffered a hip injury early in the season, with the team moving him to the 60-day IL in May.

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It's not quite clear how many innings Verlander will be pitching in the final start of his career. But at the very least, the Tigers will be giving him the opportunity to bask in the adoration from the fans who rooted for him, especially during the first 12 and a half seasons of his career.

Verlander came close to winning the World Series with the Tigers, most notably losing in the Fall Classic to the San Francisco Giants in 2012. But the 43-year-old, as good as he was in other stops, particularly with the Houston Astros, was at his best during his time in Detroit. In 2011, he won the AL MVP and AL Cy Young Award in the same season after winning the pitching triple crown.

In his career with the Tigers (381 games, 2,514.2 innings pitched), Verlander has an ERA of 3.51 to go along with 2,374 strikeouts.