After 20-plus historic seasons and over 3,500 strikeouts, the three-time Cy Young winner returned to the Detroit Tigers for a final farewell tour following a brief stint with the San Francisco Giants.
While he didn't win a ring with the San Francisco Giants, Giants fans had the pleasure of witnessing the greatness that Justin Verlander brings to the table.
Verlander's 2025 season in San Francisco was far from perfect, but the veteran made his second-to-last stop in his historic MLB career with the Giants.
Currently on the Detroit Tigers, the team that started it all, Verlander, 43, has announced this will be his last season.
Verlander officially announces his retirement
Retirement is something that's been on the mind of Verlander for quite some time, but he didn't want to end on a 4-11 season. Verlander is 266-159 in his career, and it's crazy to think that nearly 7% of those losses came with the Giants.
In a lengthy post on social media, Verlander revealed that the 2026 season will be his last. He fittingly returned to Detroit, the same team he pitched for from 2005-2017.
Verlander's second team, the Houston Astros, ended up being the one where he found the most success. Verlander spent 2017-2022 in Houston before he briefly returned in 2023-2024. From there, he made 29 starts in San Francisco, the most he'd made in a single season since 2019.
Regardless, Verlander is a two-time World Series Champion for a reason. His career ERA sits at a beautiful 3.33 and he's struck out over 3,500 batters in his 20+ year career.
Verlander has been named to the 2026 All-Star game, and that sparked his retirement announcement. The three-time American League Cy Young award winner is officially hanging it up, and that's barely scratching the surface on what he did in the MLB.
2025 season with the Giants
There's no doubt Verlander was past his prime when he came to San Francisco, but he still did everything in his power to win games. Even with his less than stellar win/loss record, he had a 1.2 WAR which was far superior than the -0.3 he had the year prior.
Verlander held his ground with a 2.6 K/BB ratio, one that echoed the success he's had in years past. For a pitcher who's thrown three career no-hitters, it's crazy to think any of his career was even spent in San Francisco.
The Giants didn't get to enjoy Verlander's company for long, but the pitcher with the most career postseason strikeouts did indeed have a stop in San Francisco. That's something no one can ever take away from this team, and Verlander's presence in the MLB will be dearly missed.
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