Ever Justin Verlander is aware of the craziness of what happening when he starts for the Detroit Tigers on Monday in Arizona.
How does one know? Verlander changed the photo on his X (formerly Twitter) bio page to the photo he took on 2005 Detroit Tigers media day. At that time, he was the Tigers’ first-round pick the previous year out of Old Dominion. He made his MLB debut later that year.
He last pitched for the Tigers in 2017 before he was dealt to the Houston Astros at the deadline. He helped Houston win two World Series titles, underwent one Tommy John surgery and won two more American League Cy Young awards. He signed with the New York Mets, was traded back to Houston and landed with San Francisco last year.
Now, 3,134 days later, Verlander will toe the rubber again for the Tigers when they face the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Wanna take a time back in time? Let’s compare three lineups — tonight’s behind the 43-year-old Verlander, the one from his final game in Detroit in 2017 and then — gulp — the lineup behind him in his MLB debut.
Monday’s Lineup vs. Arizona