One of the best careers of this era of baseball is winding down. Justin Verlander announced that he will retire at the end of the current season. Earlier today, Verlander was selected as a “legend pick” for the All-Star game. Verlander issued a statement thanking commissioner Rob Manfred for the honor and revealed the news within that statement.
“This season has challenged me in ways I haven’t experienced before,” Verlander’s statement reads, “both physically and mentally. I’ve always believed that as long as I could compete at the level I expect of myself, I’d keep playing. I never wanted to retire because of a milestone, a number, or a date on the calendar. I wanted the game to tell me when it was time.
“Over the last several months, I’ve realized that time has come. While I’m fully committed to giving my team everything I have for the rest of this season, I’ve decided this will be my last. It’s fitting that I get to finish where it all started – with the Detroit Tigers, the organization that drafted me and gave me my first opportunity.” The statement goes on to thank his family, fans, teammates, coaches, players, clubhouse attendants and more.
More to come.
