By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Fox Sports
Pitcher Justin Verlander will be retiring after the 2026 season. There’s a possibility that we might not see another pitcher who can accumulate 300 strikeouts in a single season.
Verlander reached 300 strikeouts for the first time in his career back in the 2019 season with the Houston Astros. Verlander is a secure first-ballot Hall of Famer. In today’s baseball, we rarely find a breed like Verlander. We need more pitchers who can be consistent for the long haul. We need more pitchers who can go to distance in games.
It’s unfortunate that pitchers are not allowed to complete games or reach seven innings of work. Former pitcher and Hall of Famer John Smoltz believes that we might have seen the last of one of the greatest pitching careers. The game is so different, and Verlander is the last of a dying breed.
Smoltz sat down with Justin’s brother, Ben, for an interview on his podcast, “Flippin’ Bats with Ben Verlander.”
“You’re going to see the biggest gap in the history of pitching,” Smoltz said. “He’s going to have such a volume of work that we’re not going to see anyone come close to that. We’re never going to see it again.”
What an incredible career for Justin. Father Time and physics are undefeated. It’s the right time for Justin to hang it up. He’s done it all. Verlander won every accolade that any player can think of. It’s sad to think that we won’t see pitchers that reached the pinnacle like Justin has. We can only hope that the next generation can stay healthy and maximize their innings to the best of their abilities.
It’s a great story to have Justin end his career where it all started, which is the Detroit Tigers. Winning a World Series with the Tigers would be the cherry on top, but that’s a long shot. Verlander won two World Series with the Astros.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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