Verlander’s final scheduled start frames a Hall of Fame case built on longevity
The 21-year veteran is due to start for the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, with three AL Cy Young Awards and an AL MVP among the credentials cited by Fox Sports.
Justin Verlander is scheduled to make the final start of his 21-year major-league career for the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. Whether he takes the mound is not confirmed in the supplied report.
Fox Sports outlines a Hall of Fame case grounded in both achievement and workload: Verlander has won three American League Cy Young Awards, an AL Most Valuable Player award and made 556 career starts. He has a reported career ERA of 3.33.
The report says Verlander could rank 65th all-time in innings pitched if he records at least one out in the scheduled start. A six-inning outing would tie him for 64th with Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, though Fox Sports describes that prospect as unlikely.
Fox Sports also compares Verlander’s durability with Jacob deGrom’s. DeGrom’s reported 2.69 ERA is lower, but Verlander has pitched 1,873 more innings, a gap larger than deGrom’s reported career total of 1,698⅓ innings.
Verlander has played for the Tigers, Astros, Mets and Giants. Hall of Fame voting is expected to begin five years after his final start; his candidacy remains an assessment, not a confirmed election.
