Justin Verlander makes teary farewell to 21-year career as Tigers rally to beat Pirates 4-3

Justin Verlander bid farewell to his 21-year Major League Baseball career in a 4-3 victory for the Detroit Tigers over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. The emotional swan song was marked by Verlander's emotional departure, accompanied by his young daughter during the game. Verlander, a 43-year-old right-hander, made his final appearance with a stellar 5 1/3 innings pitching, allowing two runs and striking out six batters.

His outing included a pivotal three-run ninth inning where Eduardo Valencia hit a two-run homer, turning a 3-2 deficit into a decisive win. Verlander, who faced a season hampered by injuries, completed 266-159 with a 3.33 ERA and 3,560 strikeouts, placing him eighth on the all-time list. The 4-3 win kept the Pirates (81-80) in contention for their first winning season since 2018, needing just one more victory to achieve it.

Prior to the final game, the Pirates' Kirby Yates made his first career start after 517 relief appearances, while RHP River Ryan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and Pirates' RHP Jared Jones (5-6, 3.87) were set to face off in the decisive showdown.