Despite needing to leave to win a championship, Justin Verlander's eventual plaque inside the Baseball Hall of Fame will likely show him wearing the Detroit Tigers' logo on his cap. Verlander even foreshadowed that decision during a pregame speech a day ahead of the final start of his career. 

Justin Verlander spoke from the heart in a pregame speech on Friday 

"I am, and always will be, a Detroit Tiger," said an emotional Verlander on Friday evening. 

Verlander spoke to the Comerica Park crowd for the last time as an active player and member of the Tigers. And he spent most of his speech thanking the Detroit fans for their unwavering support throughout a trying 2026 season that he hoped would be more of a farewell tour than it became. 

"I always hoped I'd get the chance to come back here to Detroit to finish my career where it all started. And although I certainly did not intend on things going the way they did this season, your love and support has meant the world to me and got me through what's been a very tough season."

Verlander thanked the Detroit fans for sticking by him through a trying final season 

Verlander put together a HOF resume from his first Tigers alone 

In 14 seasons, Verlander won 183 of his 266 career wins to date and recorded 2,374 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.51. He was named the 2006 American League Rookie of the Year and the 2011 Cy Young winner with Detroit. 

However, Verlander struggled in some of his playoff appearances with the Tigers. And even though he appeared in two World Series with Detroit (2006, 2012), he was unable to earn a championship ring until a 2017 trade sent him to Houston to join the Astros. 

Verlander enjoyed more individual and team success after leaving Detroit

Switching teams then helped revitalize Verlander's career and enhanced his legacy even more. He would help the Astros win the franchise's first World Series title that October. He would experience winning the World Series again in 2022. Verlander won 73 regular-season games and 10 in the playoffs during his five years in Houston, also adding more Cy Young awards to his resume. 

Verlander would even put on two more uniforms, granted they both resulted in forgettable seasons, before his eventual return to Detroit. 

Verlander will likely represent the Tigers on his HOF plaque 

So while some could argue his time in Houston warrants representing the Astros in Cooperstown, it's clear the Tigers are the franchise that holds a special place in his heart and will be the team he's eternally associated with more than any other. 

Going into his tip-of-the-cap farewell start, Verlander has a 266-159 personal record in 556 starts, 3,554 overall strikeouts, a cumulative ERA of 3.33 and a WHIP of 1.136.