Justin Verlander pitches final MLB game with Tigers, who walk it off to win vs. Pirates

The Detroit Tigers and their fans celebrated the career of longtime ace Justin Verlander on Friday night with a pregame ceremony and his daughter throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

On Saturday, the former American League MVP, three-time Cy Young Award winner and Rookie of the Year took the mound for the final time for a fanbase at Detroit's Comerica Park that cheered him on for 14 seasons.

Verlander, 43, walked out to the mound by himself without his teammates taking their positions on the field, allowing the fans an opportunity to show their appreciation for the ace who helped the Tigers to one of the most successful runs in franchise history.

He began by retiring the Pittsburgh Pirates (managed by former teammate Don Kelly ) in order in the first inning. Then he shared a moment with home plate umpire Laz Diaz, who is also working his final major-league game. Diaz did the standard check for illegal substances and exchanged pleasantries with Verlander, who patted him on the shoulder.

Verlander's final start ended after getting Brandon Lowe to pop out in foul territory to begin the sixth inning.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch left the dugout to take him out and Verlander's daughter ran out to the mound to give her father a hug. Verlander left the mound to a standing ovation from the sell-out crowd and his teammates standing outside the dugout.

Verlander finished with 5 1/3 innings, allowing home runs to Lowe and Jacob Gonzalez among 5 hits. He struck out six batters, with Ronny Simon being the final one of his 3,560 strikeouts. (Verlander's first career strikeout was Cleveland's Travis Hafner in 2005.)

Though he didn't get the decision, the Tigers gave Verlander an ending to remember, with Eduardo Valencia walking it off with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win . That provided another happy memory amid a disappointing season. (Detroit is 76-85 after making the postseason during the previous two years.)

Injuries prevented Verlander from MLB farewell tour

The veteran right-hander last pitched at Comerica Park in a Tigers uniform on Aug. 20, 2017 , when he held the Los Angeles Dodgers to one run with nine strikeouts over eight innings. He was traded to the Houston Astros nearly two weeks later .

S igning a one-year deal with the team that originally drafted him ( No. 2 overall in 2004 ) and for whom he played the majority of his 21-year MLB career, he was hoping to have a celebratory goodbye season with the Tigers.

However, left hip inflammation and a strained left hamstring limited him to only one appearance this year and prevented Verlander from having much of a farewell tour. Before Saturday, he had only pitched once this season, starting a 9-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 30. With five runs and six allowed over 3 2/3 innings and only one strikeout, it wasn't an outing to remember.

Verlander was originally set to pitch in Detroit on June 21 (Father's Day), but his hamstring injury prevented that . Just over two weeks later, he announced that he would retire at the end of the 2026 season . He was subsequently named to the AL All-Star team as a "Legend Pick" by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.

The next time Verlander is seen in a public, baseball-related capacity may be when he's elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. During his 21 seasons, Verlander compiled a record of 266-159, finishing among the top 10 career leaders in strikeouts . (He currently ranks eighth, but former teammate Max Scherzer will likely move past him on the all-time list.)

He won two World Series championships with the Astros, pitched three no-hitters, was named to 10 All-Star teams. Additionally, Verlander led the AL in ERA twice, wins four times and strikeouts five times.

Verlander wasn't the only one pitching his final MLB game

Also making the final pitching appearance of his MLB career was Kirby Yates , who started Saturday's game for the Pirates as the opener. That was the first start for the career reliever, who pitched 12 big-league seasons.

Yates went 1 2/3 innings, allowing no runs and two hits before being relieved by Yohan Ramírez and receiving congratulations from his teammates and coaches. He ends his career with a 3.35 ERA, 101 saves and 672 strikeouts in 495 innings.