A.J. Hinch has made plenty of pitching changes, but Saturday, he gave this one to someone else.
After Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe popped out in the sixth inning Saturday, the Detroit Tigers manager signaled to the stands and Justin Verlander’s daughter, Genevieve, sprinted out to the mound to get her father.
Justin Verlander was already crying as she closed the gap to the mound quickly. He bent down and wrapped her up in a hug that lasted about 15 seconds as the crowd around him rose. When he stood back up, he took his daughter’s hand and walked off the mound for a final time.
It was the final scene of a farewell that Verlander and the Tigers had been building toward since he announced his retirement in July.
After two decades that took him from Detroit to Houston, New York and San Francisco, the 43-year-old came home for one last start, his first at Comerica Park in a Tiger uniform since he was traded in 2017 and only his second of this injury-wrecked season. He leaves as one of the defining pitchers of his generation: three Cy Young Awards, 2011 MVP, Rookie of the Year, three no-hitters, two World Series titles and 3,560 strikeouts, eighth in major league history. Saturday, in the ballpark where it started, he got to go out on his own terms.
As he and his daughter walked off, the crowd and his teammates gave him a standing ovation. The Pirates stood in their dugout, clapping and watching history.
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throws a pitch during the first inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
(David Rodriguez-Munoz, Detroit Free Press)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throws a pitch during the first inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
(David Rodriguez-Munoz, Detroit Free Press)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throws a pitch during the first inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
(David Rodriguez-Munoz, Detroit Free Press)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) smiles before throwing his first pitch of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
(David Rodriguez-Munoz, Detroit Free Press)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) greets his teammates before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
(David Rodriguez-Munoz, Detroit Free Press)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) walks in the dugout before throwing his first pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
(David Rodriguez-Munoz, Detroit Free Press)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) tips his hat to the fans as he walks on the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
(David Rodriguez-Munoz, USA TODAY Network)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Micki Kramer, 80, holds a sign honoring Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. Kramer has been a fan of Verlander for 20 years.
(David Rodriguez-Munoz, USA TODAY Network)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) hugs his daughter, Genevieve Upton Verlander, during a Career Celebration Ceremony before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park on Sept. 25, 2026 in Detroit.
(Rick Osentoski, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) daughter, Genevieve Upton Verlander, throws the first pitch before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park on Sept. 25, 2026 in Detroit.
(Rick Osentoski, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Kate Upton and Bellamy Brooks Verlander wait for the beginning of Justin Verlander career celebration ahead of the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
(Junfu Han, USA TODAY Network)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) waves at fans as he walks onto the field during Justin Verlander career celebration ahead of the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
(Junfu Han, USA TODAY Network)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) speaks during Justin Verlander career celebration ahead of the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
(Junfu Han, USA TODAY Network)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) kisses his wife Kate Upton after Justin Verlander career celebration ahead of the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
(Junfu Han, USA TODAY Network)
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Justin Verlander makes final start to close Hall of Fame career
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) hugs his wife Kate Upton after speaking during Justin Verlander career celebration ahead of the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
(Junfu Han, USA TODAY Network)
Verlander tipped his cap. His wife, Kate Upton, and their son, Bellamy met him on the dirt for more hugs. He high-fived his way down a line of teammates, tipped his cap again, took a deep breath through tears, waved, tipped his cap again and disappeared down the dugout stairs.
It was the second time in two days Genevieve had been part of the show. Before Friday night’s game, she threw the ceremonial first pitch to her dad and put it right over the plate.
Verlander left with the Tigers trailing 2-0 after having allowed two solo home runs and striking out six in 5 1/3 innings. The Tigers rallied to take him off the hook. Eduardo Valencia’s two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth gave Detroit a 4-3 win in Verlander’s last game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Verlander’s final start ends with daughter making pitching change
