Justin Verlander, one of the most decorated pitchers in baseball history, has announced that the 2026 season will be his last, bringing an end to a 22-year Major League career. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2011 American League MVP made the announcement on social media on Wednesday, having endured an injury-hit final campaign with the Detroit Tigers.

Verlander said the season had tested him both physically and mentally, and that he had always intended to let the game, rather than a milestone or date, dictate when to stop. He described it as fitting to finish with the Tigers, the club that drafted him and where he spent his first 12-and-a-half seasons before a trade to the Houston Astros, with whom he won two World Series titles and two of his Cy Young Awards. He signed a one-year deal to return to Detroit over the offseason, and thanked teammates, staff, fans and his wife Kate in his farewell message.