Longtime Guardians nemesis announces retirement with Tigers during tough season

On July 4, 2005, Justin Verlander took the mound at Progressive Field for his MLB debut. 

While the Guardians may have gotten the most of Verlander in that debut when he allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings, he’s spent the better part of the past two decades completely owning the Guardians. 

But that run of dominance will end after this season, as Verlander announced on Wednesday that he’s going to hang up his cleats once the 2026 season is over. 

Justin Verlander dominated the Guardians throughout his career

Verlander’s announcement confirmed what seemed like a forgone conclusion this spring when he signed a one-year contract to return to the Tigers after nine seasons away. 

Although that reunion hasn’t been the storybook ending he was expecting due to the fact he made just one start before going on the injured list, he still earned a nod to this year’s All-Star game as a “Legend Pick” from commissioner Rob Manfred. 

It’s the tenth All-Star nod of his career. 

Verlander and the Guardians have gotten to know each other very well during his 21 year career. He's made 58 starts against Cleveland in his career (his 363 1/3 innings against Cleveland are the most in his career) with a 4.43 ERA. 

He’s thrown two shutouts against Cleveland in that time, and has gone 7+ innings in 27 of those starts. While he hasn’t been as dominant against the Guardians in recent years, any day where he was toeing the rubber against the Guardians was a scary one.

One of those shutouts came during his fantastic 2011 season where he finished the year with a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts in 251 innings en route to winning the American League Cy Young and MVP. 

He went on to win two more Cy Young Awards with the Astros in 2019 and 2022, and also pitched for the Mets and Giants. 

But, as mentioned above, this season hasn’t been great for him. He initially went on the shelf with a hip injury after his first start before suffering a hamstring strain last month.

All of that’s come on a Tigers team that’s currently nine games under .500 and five games out of a postseason spot. Those struggles made Verlander seem like a logical trade candidate, and today’s announcement didn’t do anything to dissuade that notion since the end of career finally has an end date. 

While there’s always the possibility Verlander would want to finish his career with the franchise that he started it with, there’s also a chance he could ask to finish this season on a contender. It’s hard to imagine him sticking around if the Tigers decide to trade Tarik Skubal. 

Last June, Verlander returned from the injured list against the Guardians and limped through 4 2/3 innings in a Giants loss. While there’s a chance that may be the last time he goes against the Guardians, it clearly doesn’t tell the story of a career he spent dominating Cleveland.

Five years from now, Verlander’s going to earn a first-ballot induction in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and his dominance against the Guardians will be a big reason why.

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