The 10 moments that defined Justin Verlander's Hall of Fame career

The end has officially arrived for Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, who confirmed earlier this week that he’ll retire upon season’s end.

Verlander is all but a lock to enter the Hall of Fame on his first try, and he’ll leave baseball among the greatest pitchers of his generation. As of July 2026, Verlander ranks 24th all-time in bWAR, and every pitcher ahead of him is in Cooperstown. He’s a three-time Cy Young Award winner with three no-hitters and two championships on his resume.

That said, let’s look back at the greatest moments and seasons of Verlander’s two-plus decades in the Majors. For this list, we’re factoring in both counting statistics and the overall context of the season in question.

10. Just keep pitching (2014)

Despite recording a 4.54 ERA and 0.9 bWAR, Verlander still looks back fondly on the 2014 season. Even in a down season, the righty pitched 206 innings over 32 starts. Consider that only three pitchers hit the 200-inning mark last year.

It’s a credit to Verlander that he remained a workhorse in his age-31 season. Concerns mounted about whether he’d reached his regression point, especially with 2014 marking his eighth consecutive 200-inning campaign. But Verlander clearly wasn’t done yet. 

9. Return of the King (2016)

Verlander's best days appeared behind him after that disappointing 2014 season and an injury-marred 2015. Naturally, he recorded 7.4 bWAR with a 3.04 ERA and 254 strikeouts to shut us up.

However, his former Tigers teammate, Rick Porcello, led the Majors with 22 wins for the AL East-winning Red Sox. Despite Verlander earning 14 first-place Cy Young votes to Porcello's eight, the latter narrowly claimed the award.

8. The first no-hitter (2007)

Verlander earned his first All-Star nod in 2007, going 18-6 with a 3.66 ERA and placing fifth in AL Cy Young voting. Although the Tigers missed the postseason, Verlander provided the signature highlight of the year, pitching a no-hitter against the Brewers that June.

Verlander became the first Tigers pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Jack Morris in 1984. It also marked the first no-hitter at Comerica Park. 

7. Robbed of a Cy Young (2018)

By 2018, Verlander was back for good. No more skepticism that his best days were behind him, not when he recorded a 2.52 ERA and a 290-37 K-BB ratio in 214 innings. He nearly won another Cy Young, finishing with 154 points to Blake Snell’s 169. 

Snell had the advantage in wins, ERA and bWAR, but Verlander pitched nearly 35 more innings for a playoff team. There is no question in my mind that the voters robbed Verlander, partly because they chose to ignore Snell’s limited workload. 

6. Rookie of the Year (2006)

Only three years after finishing 43-119, the Tigers stunned the baseball world by reaching the World Series in 2006. Verlander played a pivotal role, finishing 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA over 30 starts.

Verlander earned 26 of the 28 first-place votes for AL Rookie of the Year and started Game 1 of the World Series. Not too bad for a 23-year-old in his first full season in the Majors.

5. Not a fluke (2012)

If you were too young to have seen Verlander in his prime, you missed out. The reigning AL Cy Young winner remained dominant in 2012, recording 8.1 bWAR and a 2.64 ERA in 238.1 innings for the AL Central champions.

Remarkably, Verlander threw six complete games, and he narrowly lost the Cy Young to Tampa’s David Price. In hindsight, Price almost certainly captured the award because he had 20 wins to Verlander's 17. Great job, voters. 

4. A second Cy Young Award (2019)

You could easily make a case for Verlander's 2019 season being significantly higher on this list, seeing as he won 21 games and threw his third no-hitter. He also struck out 300 hitters and recorded a 2.58 ERA for the American League champions. For most pitchers, this would easily be the highlight of their career

Although Verlander was considered a Hall of Fame lock by the time September arrived, he might not have gotten the memo. Verlander no-hit the Blue Jays on Sept. 1, then recorded his 3,000th strikeout less than a month later. When the World Series rolled around, Verlander became the all-time leader in postseason strikeouts.

3. A generational season (2011)

This was Verlander at his best, and not solely because he went 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA for the AL Central-winning Tigers. He no-hit the Blue Jays that May and threw six complete games, which remains a career best. 

Verlander won the Triple Crown and became the first pitcher to win MVP since Dennis Eckersley nearly 20 years earlier. By this point, Verlander was easily the sport’s best pitcher, and he’d already achieved enough through his age-27 season that we started working “Hall of Fame” into the conversation.  

2. Finally, sweet victory (2017)

Verlander continued his resurgence by going 10-8 with a 3.82 ERA over 28 starts with the Tigers. However, Detroit traded him to the Astros on Aug. 31, right as the waiver trade deadline concluded.

Verlander quickly justified the trade, going 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA down the stretch. But he saved his best for the postseason, pitching to a 2.21 ERA over 36.2 innings. Verlander earned ALCS MVP honors against a familiar foe in the Yankees and, at long last, won a World Series ring. 

1. An improbable career comeback (2022)

An elbow injury limited Verlander to just one start in the shortened COVID season, and he underwent Tommy John surgery that September. As a result, he missed all of 2021, and questions understandably mounted about how the 39-year-old would fare upon returning.

Shows what we know. Verlander recorded a 1.75 ERA in, fittingly, 175 innings and won his third Cy Young Award. Despite a 5.85 ERA in four postseason starts, Verlander celebrated with the Commissioner’s Trophy that November following a World Series victory over the Phillies.

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