Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Pirates vs. Tigers: Detroit Walks Off 4-3 After Justin Verlander’s Final Start
Verlander worked 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts in his final MLB start, then Detroit erased a 3-1 ninth-inning deficit on Eduardo Valencia’s two-run walk-off homer.
Justin Verlander’s final Major League start ended with a competitive 5 1/3 innings at Comerica Park on Saturday. The 43-year-old allowed five hits and two earned runs, walked one and struck out six on 91 pitches. Both runs came on solo homers, and Detroit trailed Pittsburgh 2-0 when Verlander left after the first out of the sixth.
The game did not end with that deficit. Detroit scored once in the sixth, fell behind 3-1 in the eighth, then produced three runs in the bottom of the ninth. Kevin McGonigle’s groundout cut it to 3-2 before Eduardo Valencia hit a two-run walk-off homer with two outs, giving the Tigers a 4-3 win on the afternoon of Verlander’s farewell start.
The goodbye came one out into the sixth
Verlander returned for the sixth inning after throwing 87 pitches through five. He retired Lowe on a foul pop for the first out, bringing his final pitch count to 91. Hinch then walked to the mound and made the change rather than letting the farewell drift into another batter.
Yahoo Sports reported that Verlander’s daughter ran onto the field to greet him before he left to a standing ovation. The scene mattered because the Tigers had already held the larger retirement ceremony Friday; Saturday’s goodbye was tied directly to his final competitive pitches.
The line was better than his only other 2026 MLB start
The official box score records 5 1/3 innings, five hits, two earned runs, one walk, six strikeouts, 20 batters faced and 91 pitches, including 57 strikes. Lowe and Gonzalez supplied the damage with solo homers, so Verlander left having allowed only those two runs.
That was a sharper finish than his March 30 appearance against Arizona, when Yahoo reported that he lasted 3 2/3 innings and allowed five runs. Hip inflammation and a hamstring strain then kept him from the farewell season he had hoped to make.
A 557th start closed a 21-season career
Saturday was Verlander’s 557th and final regular-season start. His six strikeouts increased the pregame total of 3,554 reported by MLB to 3,560.
The same reporting described a 21-season career and the urgency behind this last appearance. Verlander had skipped a normal month-long rehabilitation build-up so he could pitch once more before retiring, which is why neither he nor Hinch had promised a fixed workload in advance.
Detroit changed the ending after Verlander left
Verlander departed with Detroit down 2-0, so his farewell could have ended as a strong outing in a loss. Javier Báez’s RBI double in the sixth cut the deficit to one, but Bryan Reynolds tripled home another Pittsburgh run in the eighth and restored a 3-1 margin.
The ninth rewrote the final scene. Max Clark singled, Hao-Yu Lee doubled and McGonigle’s groundout brought Clark home for 3-2. With Lee at third and two outs, Valencia drove a breaking ball over the left-field wall for a two-run walk-off homer. The official MLB record lists Jacob Waguespack as the winning pitcher and Mason Montgomery as the loser; Verlander received no decision.
