Make New York Post a Preferred Source Justin Verlander is getting a sendoff befitting a three-time Cy Young Award winner, and his family’s inclusion has only made it more emotional.
Verlander, 43, was honored on the field at Comerica Park on Friday night before making the final start of his illustrious career Saturday against the Pirates.
The 10-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion caught the first pitch thrown out by his 7-year-old daughter, Genevieve, who threw a strike, and got a big hug and a smile from her dad.
Wife Kate Upton, 34, looked on with their 1-year-old son, Bellamy.
“It’s been awesome. We’ve been practicing,” Verlander told reporters before the game. “She’s all pumped up about it. We actually came out here to the field and practiced off the mound one day. I asked her, ‘Where do you want to go? You want to go to the mound? And she’s like, ‘The mound.’ I’m like, that’s my girl.
“She’s been really excited. At home, she wants to grab a baseball and go up to play catch with me, which is the first time this has happened. I don’t push on her at all, so to have her want to go play catch in the backyard has been awesome, and she’s glowing about it.”
It’s been a trying season for Verlander in his return to Detroit, where he played from 2005-17 before being traded to the Astros.
He’s pitched just 3 ⅔ innings in one game this season because of left hip inflammation and a left hamstring strain, as the Tigers will miss the postseason.
Verlander broke down while addressing fans with Upton and his kids by his side, hugging his wife at one point.
“I am, and always will be, a Detroit Tiger,” Verlander told the crowd.
Verlander, who spent half a season with the Mets in 2023 and has been married to Upton since 2017, is expected to be on a short pitch count for Saturday as he rushed back from injury to make sure he could take the mound one final time before walking into the sunset.
He admitted to feeling “anxious” about the outing.
“There’s no script,” Verlander said. “I want to go as long as I can. I skipped about a month’s worth of rehab to be able to do this, but I also don’t want to just go out there and throw 20 pitches. I think everybody feels comfortable with 20 pitches, and then after that, we’re kind of in a who-knows zone.”
Verlander has 266 wins and 3,555 strikeouts — good enough for eighth all time — entering the game.
“I think it’s all how you look at it, right? I could be sad for what maybe I didn’t do. I didn’t make 300 wins. That was a goal,” Verlander said. “I’m not going to go home and lay my head on my pillow tomorrow night, no matter how the game goes, and be like, I left something out there. I think that gives me some ease.’
