▲ Verlander heads to the mound in his retirement game
Legendary Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Justin Verlander, 43, of the Detroit Tigers, has finally bid farewell to the mound.
Verlander started as the pitcher in a home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, on September 27 (KST), allowing two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings.
This marked Verlander's first appearance on the mound since his game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 31.
Plagued by injuries throughout the season, Verlander returned to the mound after about six months, pouring his heart into throwing 91 pitches.
Verlander's retirement game was emotional from the very beginning.
Longtime fan and actor J.K. Simmons served as the stadium announcer, and in the top of the first inning, while his teammates briefly remained in the dugout, Verlander walked out to the mound alone to receive a warm standing ovation from the fans.
After retiring the first batter of the top of the sixth inning, Brandon Lowe, with a catcher's foul pop, manager A.J. Hinch notified the home plate umpire of a pitching change.
At that moment, as his daughter Genevieve ran out to the mound, an unexpected surprise caused Verlander to hug her and burst into tears.
Holding his daughter's hand as he walked off the mound, his wife, supermodel Kate Upton, and young son were waiting to comfort him on his retirement.
Debuting with Detroit in 2005, Verlander finished his career with a record of 266 wins, 159 losses, a 3.33 ERA, and 3,560 strikeouts.
He won the Cy Young Award three times and threw three no-hitters.
He also won World Series rings in 2017 and 2022 while playing for the Houston Astros.
Ahead of this season, he signed a one-year, $13 million contract with his former team Detroit, but after focusing on rehabilitation due to injuries, he delivered his final farewell to fans near the end of the season.
Regarded as one of the 21st century's greatest pitchers alongside Clayton Kershaw (retired) and Max Scherzer (Toronto Blue Jays), Verlander has virtually secured his induction into the Hall of Fame.
On this day, trailing 2-3 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Detroit won 4-3 thanks to a dramatic walk-off two-run homer by Eduardo Valencia.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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