Detroit — He started it all more than two decades ago. Before Justin Verlander was a 43-year-old legend acknowledging the end is near, he was the 23-year-old firebrand who changed Tigers baseball.
He was the Tigers’ original intimidator, helping resurrect a floundering franchise and leading it to the 2006 World Series. He made his mark and left a mark, and from that point forward, the Tigers’ hallmark has been their starting pitchers, hard-throwing strikeout artists in a dominant rotation.
Verlander returned to Detroit this season to complete the circle, and he’s not done trying. But he’s done denying the reality of mortality, and if the Tigers can dig up more magic this summer, it could be a poetic exit. Verlander announced Wednesday this season would be his last, his 21st as a major-leaguer, his 14th as a Tiger, a certain first-ballot Hall-of-Fame career.
He’s still working to return from hamstring and hip injuries that have limited him to one start. He’s admitting it’ll be over, but not just yet. The irony is, in the Tigers’ current impressive rotation, there isn’t much room for Verlander, although we know how quickly fortunes can change. The Tigers beat the Athletics, 6-1, Wednesday night, their seventh victory in eight games, and have climbed to 4.5 games out of a playoff spot. They’ve been the A.L.’s hottest team for a month, clawing their way to 42-50, with plenty of clawing still needed.
Verlander made his announcement on the day MLB named him a Legend Pick for the All-Star Game. It made sense to complete the story, although he’s resisting the pull of nostalgia.
“I’m gonna try my best to enjoy it, but at the same time, it’s not taking away from my competitive edge,” Verlander said. “I always said I wanted to play until the wheels fell off, and it seems they are. But it’s done not yet. And neither am I.”
And neither, apparently, are the Tigers. They’ve shaken off a miserable May to resuscitate playoff ambitions, which have been buried, dug up and reburied. They’re trying to do it with the formula used when they went to a pair of World Series (’06, 1012) and won four straight division titles — with aces and horses on the mound.
In the latest incarnation, Tarik Skubal, 29, is the reigning horse, the centerpiece in two consecutive playoff appearances. The clock is ticking for him too, poised to leave as a free agent after the season, if not sooner at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The two-time Cy Young winner has been as dominant as Verlander was but in a much-shorter window. He’s joined by a trio of steady-to-sterling starters in Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty and Troy Melton. There’s also one high-priced under-performer (Framber Valdez) and one under-valued surprise (Keider Montero).
Melton, 25, was his usual unflappable self — he’s now 5-1 with a 1.82 ERA — shutting down the Athletics on four hits while striking out a career-high nine in 5.1 innings. The Tigers also hauled out their big sticks again, with Spencer Torkelson and Jake Rogers slugging home runs.
Skubal hopes to stay as long as feasible, and he can help it happen by winning games to keep the Tigers in contention. Verlander wants to pitch again before he’s done, and he says he’s doing everything possible to make it happen.
“I don’t think he wants to focus on the hat-tip tour,” AJ Hinch said. “I think he wants to get back on the field and help this team win. Right now, what he needs out of us is, push him to be his best so that when he does come back, he can be a contributor to a winning team. …. Our feeling has always been, our starting pitching was going to set tone for the day. Well, it’s happening.”
It may have taken multiple detours through injuries and failures, but the identity is forming. Since June 1, the Tigers are 20-12, and their team ERA of 3.14 is the best in baseball. Their starters have allowed four runs or fewer in 39 of the past 40 games.
It’s the reason president Scott Harris can contemplate a rare trade-deadline maneuver — sell and buy at the same time. Trading Skubal for prospects and a major-league bat would strengthen the offense, and although Skubal would be a massive loss, the Tigers have more replacement possibilities than most teams.
Young Jackson Jobe reportedly threw well and topped 100 mph in a rehab start in Lakeland the other day. If he can return from Tommy John surgery this season, it could be a huge boost. So could a final fling from Verlander, who was planning to throw a bullpen session Thursday. Verlander said his arm still feels great; it’s the rest of his body betraying him.
“My focus is still to get out there and be the best version of myself that I can be,” Verlander said. “Obviously we’re playing great baseball right now, things are going well, we’re trending in the right direction. I’m champing at the bit to be part of that.”
No one’s ignoring the raw reality of math, and the Tigers’ playoff chances just rose to 32.2%, according to FanGraphs. But no one’s forgetting the historic streaks — hot and cold — the Tigers have authored the past few years. Is it stirring once again?
“I don’t know if guys are playing with more of a sense of urgency, that’s not the right way to put it,” Verlander said. “It’s that our guys are healthy, our rotation is doing what they’re supposed to do, feeding off one another. The best teams I’ve been part of, that’s really the combination, a rotation of guys giving us a chance to win night in and night out. … I came back here with the intention of being part of a playoff-caliber team.
“We know the situation we put ourselves in, and our job is to give Scott (Harris) a tough decision to make, and give us a chance to be buyers, not sellers, and go for it.”
Skubal shares similar sentiments, saying he hopes management gives this group a boost. Obviously, his contract situation is the issue, and he surely doesn’t want to be the reason the Tigers sell at the deadline. The smart, safe bet has always been for Harris to trade Skubal before he leaves for nothing, but in the next three weeks, the decision could get tougher.
The Tigers are uniquely constructed with their deep rotation and uniquely seasoned by two playoff runs. As arms have healed, their options have grown. Maybe even Verlander’s arm, yet. Early in his career, he was one of a kind. Now he may be the last of his kind, a workhorse who wants to ride the wheels off into the sunset.
In his first stint with the Tigers, Verlander was surrounded by starry starters such as Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, Anibal Sanchez and David Price, and for a variety of reasons — flawed bullpen, inconsistent hitting — they never completed the journey. No one is suggesting the Tigers’ current rotation matches those, although it does have a match at the top.
Skubal watched Verlander’s news conference Wednesday from the back of the room, and later offered a respectful nod. They see a bit of themselves in each other — the 100-mph heaters, the angry sneer — and even test their competitiveness in spirited clubhouse chess matches. They haven’t played together long, just long enough to know what each is about.
“He’s been an open book to me, provided a lot of help,” said Skubal, who returned from elbow surgery less than a month ago. “He’s been great for everybody in this clubhouse. Our goals align. I want to do the same exact things he’s accomplished in his career. Obviously I want to see him play (this season), and I know how bad he wants to play.”
It remains to be seen if that’s possible, or if the games will be meaningful then. Whether Skubal’s last run in Detroit coincides with Verlander’s, they’re two of a kind, crafting one-of-a-kind careers.
Bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
@bobwojnowski
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wojo: As end nears for Justin Verlander, he craves one last shot with Tigers
Reporting by Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
