{"id":569860,"date":"2026-02-13T09:04:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/569860\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T09:04:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:04:27","slug":"what-justin-verlander-said-about-returning-to-detroit-tigers-after-8-years-apart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/569860\/","title":{"rendered":"What Justin Verlander said about returning to Detroit Tigers after 8+ years apart"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2013 Detroit Tigers<\/a> legend and future National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Justin Verlander<\/a> was introduced by the organization as he returns to the team following his over eight-year departure. <\/p>\n

Verlander, 42, spent 13 seasons with the Tigers from 2005-2017, before he was traded midseason to play alongside manager A.J. Hinch<\/a> and the Houston Astros.<\/p>\n

The Tigers said they see a great opportunity to win this season and believe Verlander can contribute both on and off the field.<\/p>\n

Nostalgia<\/p>\n

Verlander reflected on the nostalgia and competitive balance of returning to Detroit<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in front of the fans in Detroit. I was 21 years old when I got here in Lakeland for the first time,\u201d Verlander said. <\/p>\n

Verlander recalled how Detroit kept coming to his mind after last season ended, prompting him to reach out to the Tigers\u2019 leadership to express his intentions.<\/p>\n

Initially, Verlander did not expect a spot on the team. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, there didn\u2019t seem like there was much room for me,\u201d Verlander said. <\/p>\n

But some recent changes opened the door, and he is happy to wear the Old English D again.<\/p>\n

Despite his many accomplishments, including a Cy Young Award and World Series title, Verlander said, \u201cI don\u2019t pitch for accolades. I pride myself on taking the ball, trying to be healthy, going out there every five days and giving us the best chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

What remains missing from his resume is a World Series title with Detroit. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had a couple shots at that I really regret not achieving,\u201d Verlander said. <\/p>\n

Verlander admires the current ownership and is excited to be part of a World Series-caliber team with a winning mindset.<\/p>\n

He described the emotions of returning to the Tigers\u2019 facilities as surreal, noting many upgrades and new faces. <\/p>\n

\u201cComing back here was interesting, and it kind of brought back a lot of memories and emotions,\u201d Verlander said.<\/p>\n

Verlander also spoke about pitching alongside fellow ace Tarik Skubal<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to see him work and learn from him,\u201d Verlander said, emphasizing the value of learning from great players.<\/p>\n

Tigers tenure<\/p>\n

With Detroit, JV won 183 games while posting a 3.49 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 2,511 innings, accompanied by 2,373 strikeouts.<\/p>\n

Verlander was a six-time All-Star during his time with the Tigers, winning the 2011 American League Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player Award.<\/p>\n

Under Hinch\u2019s tutelage, Verlander took his Hall of Fame career to another level, winning two World Series rings and posting a 2.71 ERA, 0.918 Whip in just 810.1 innings.<\/p>\n

Last season, Verlander got off to a rough start, going 0-8 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP with the New York Mets, but from July 23 onward, he posted a 2.60 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP while striking out 70 batters in 72.2 innings.<\/p>\n

Longevity<\/p>\n

Regarding his longevity, Verlander said he has always aimed to pitch until age 45. <\/p>\n

\u201cAge isn\u2019t really something I think about all too often,\u201d Verlander said, though he now monitors his offseason routine differently to prolong his career. \u201cI think I still recover really well. I move really well. It is something that I take into consideration, particularly in the offseason, to make some adjustments from lifting heavy weights and a lot of things that I need to monitor now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verlander said he\u2019s had conversations with older athletes who gave him some dos and don\u2019ts, including from a Michigan Wolverines<\/a> legend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to Tom Brady<\/a>, Tiger Woods, guys who have done things at the top of their games for a long time, and you can learn things from them like how to prolong your career a little longer or things that they regret doing,\u201d Verlander said.<\/p>\n

Verlander credited his improved velocity last season to being healthy and making mechanical adjustments. <\/p>\n

He likened it to a similar breakthrough in 2017 before his trade to Houston.<\/p>\n

Tigers doubt<\/p>\n

Verlander admitted he once doubted if the Tigers would be competitive again during his career, especially after his neck injury. But recent years have changed that outlook.<\/p>\n

He reflected on the deep connection between the Tigers and Detroit fans, especially during tough times in the city. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo buy a ticket and come to a ballgame was a huge expense for a lot of those fans, but it was also a getaway and something to celebrate,\u201d Verlander said.<\/p>\n

Fatherhood<\/p>\n

Verlander shared how becoming a father changed his perspective, helping him be more present on and off the field. <\/p>\n

His daughter is still young and not yet nostalgic about Detroit, but he hopes she will create lasting memories here.<\/p>\n

He also discussed how personal growth has improved his communication and leadership with teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat mindset I talked about earlier wasn\u2019t really conducive to being the best teammate when I was younger,\u201d Verlander said. <\/p>\n

Now, he proactively supports and connects with others.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Verlander aims to reach 300 career wins but acknowledges the challenge. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to go out, do everything I can to pitch successfully, give us a chance to win, hopefully log a lot of wins,\u201d Verlander said.<\/p>\n

Verlander is 37th all-time in total wins with 266, so if he\u2019s able to stay healthy and can finish this season strong, he may return next season as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year made it difficult, only getting four,\u201d Verlander said, acknowledging the challenge ahead. <\/p>\n

Looking forward, he said, if something catastrophic were to happen, he wouldn\u2019t want to go through major surgery and rehab again. <\/p>\n

Instead, his plan is to go out, pitch successfully, give the team a chance to win, and hopefully log many wins by taking the ball 30-plus times. <\/p>\n

\u201cLet the chips fall where they may,\u201d Verlander said. <\/p>\n

If he feels well and can do it again, he plans to \u201crinse and repeat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reconnection<\/p>\n

He described reconnecting with former members of the organization as catching up with an old friend and looks forward to building strong relationships with the Tigers\u2019 pitching staff.<\/p>\n

Verlander praised Tigers managers Jim Leyland<\/a> and Hinch for balancing friendship with players and leadership, calling it a difficult but important dynamic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest thing for a manager to do is to cultivate a relationship where you feel like they\u2019re your friends, but you also know they\u2019re still the boss,\u201d Verlander said. \u201cI think that\u2019s really hard to navigate.\u201d <\/p>\n

He praised both men for doing it incredibly well, noting they approach it differently but with the same mindset. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a great question and something that has stuck out to me,\u201d Verlander added.<\/p>\n

Building new bond<\/p>\n

When asked if former Astros teammate and current Tigers teammate Framber Valdez<\/a> was asleep, Verlander quickly clarified, \u201cNo, he\u2019s awake.\u201d <\/p>\n

He expressed appreciation for his teammates showing up and supporting each other. <\/p>\n

\u201cShowing up for each other is half the battle,\u201d he said. Verlander noted that pitchers spend more time together during the season than with their families, and early signs of support help build strong friendships and relationships within the staff. \u201cWe feed off one another and tend to hang out more than the rest of the team because we have similar schedules,\u201d Verlander said.<\/p>\n

Verlander believes this pitching staff has the potential to be one of the best he\u2019s been part of. <\/p>\n

\u201cI sit here and look at these guys, and this definitely has the opportunity to be one of the better staffs I\u2019ve been a part of, and I\u2019ve been part of some really good ones,\u201d Verlander said.<\/p>\n

New habits<\/p>\n

He also detailed how embracing analytics transformed his pitching approach, especially during his time in Houston. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey showed me data that proved my four-seam fastball was elite and my two-seam was average, so I stopped throwing that,\u201d Verlander jokingly said.<\/p>\n

Finally, Verlander joked about getting rid of some old routines, saying, \u201cI\u2019m all full of routines, but nothing crazy at Taco Bell now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2013 Detroit Tigers legend and future National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Justin Verlander was introduced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":569861,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2386],"tags":[2082,5,147,53,2583,79,7998,388,6222,4,382,594,31002],"class_list":["post-569860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-detroit-tigers","tag-a-j-hinch","tag-baseball","tag-detroit","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-detroittigers","tag-framber-valdez","tag-jim-leyland","tag-justin-verlander","tag-michigan-wolverines","tag-mlb","tag-tarik-skubal","tag-tigers","tag-tom-brady"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116062523395663425","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569860\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}