Justin Verlander will retire after the 2026 season

Justin Verlander is clearly not having the 2026 season he had hoped for. The pitcher, who decided to return to the Tigers last winter, has made only one start, allowing five runs in 3.2 innings pitched.

That start took place at the very beginning of the season… and since then, he's been sidelined by injuries.

That said, earlier today, Rob Manfred announced that Verlander will pitch in the All-Star Game. He was selected as a legend to honor his career (and not for his performance this season).

Clayton Kershaw, Miguel Cabrera, and Albert Pujols, among others, have received this honor in recent years.

Except that in the minutes that followed, we received another piece of news regarding Verlander… and it's even bigger: the pitcher confirmed that he will retire at the end of this season.

In a post on his social media accounts, he acknowledged that the time has come. This season has been a huge challenge for him so far, and he's clearly ready to move on.

He also says he's happy to end his career where it all began—in a Tigers uniform.

Verlander, now 43, took the opportunity to thank everyone who has helped him in any way throughout his career, and he reiterates that he intends to give it his all between now and the end of the season.

We obviously hope he recovers as quickly as possible so we can see him back on the mound.

And of course, one has to wonder whether Max Scherzer might do the same and announce his retirement at the end of the season. The 41-year-old Blue Jays pitcher is also having a tough season marred by injuries… and no one would be surprised to see him hang up his cleats this winter.

The two players, who were teammates with the Tigers and the Mets, have each won the Cy Young Award three times: seeing them retire at the same time would mark the end of a great chapter… and possibly the end of an era when starting pitchers were true workhorses.

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