The hearts of baseball fans everywhere were warmed on Saturday as Detroit Tigers star pitcher Justin Verlander’s daughter ran out onto the field to mark his final appearance on the mound.
As Verlander wrapped up his 595th professional career stint on the mound at the end of the sixth inning, his daughter, Genevieve, ran out of the dugout and threw herself at her pop in a giant bear hug.
The moment became even more touching as Verlander clearly began sobbing at the sight of his precious girl.
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“I had no clue,” Verlander said after his daughter appeared in his game, Mlive reported. “I was totally blindsided, and it hit me like a ton of bricks.”
The unforgettable sendoff was the idea of Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who said it was hard to make it all happen without Verlander finding out ahead of time.
“We really wanted to find a way to give him a moment that he wouldn’t expect,” Hinch told the media. “He’s a really hard guy to surprise. He’s as planned out and mapped out as any human I’ve ever been around.”
Hinch added that the idea was sparked by how proud Verlander is of his family.
“For the last seven years, a lot of conversations I’ve had with him away from the Tigers or away from the field have been about his pride in being a father,” the manager revealed.
Verlander, 43, feared his injuries might keep him from the sendoff he hoped to earn as he heads into retirement.
“There’s no script. I want to go as long as I can,” Verlander said ahead of the game. “I skipped about a month’s worth of rehab to be able to do this, but I also don’t want to just go out there and throw 20 pitches. I think everybody feels comfortable with 20 pitches, and then after that, we’re kind of in a ‘who knows’ zone.”
For example, one of the batters who faced his searing fastball Saturday was the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Konnor Griffin. The Pirates’ shortstop has now become the first player to face a pitcher who debuted in the Big Leagues before he was even born. Verlander debuted on July 4, 2005, and Griffin wasn’t born until April 2006.
Verlander retires with three Cy Young Awards (2011, 2019, 2022), a 2011 MVP, and ten All-Star Games. Along with his three Cy Young wins, he has six top-five finishes in the Cy Young voting. He also has three no-hitters.
Over 21 seasons, he has gone 266-159 with 3,561 strikeouts and a 3.33 ERA. He is 37th all-time in wins, eighth all-time in strikeouts, and 29th in starts. Verlander made 557 regular-season appearances, all starts, plus 38 postseason appearances (37 starts). He is a two-time World Series champion (2017 and 2022 Astros).
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