As he closes in on a historic milestone and returns to where it all began, Justin Verlander opens up about longevity, legacy, and the limits he’s unwilling to cross.
IMAGE: San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) follows through on a pitch against the Colorado Rockies during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. / D. Ross Cameron / Imagn Images
Justin Verlander Eyes 300 Wins in a Full-Circle Return to Detroit
LAKELAND, FL – Justin Verlander is staring down a milestone that’s become something of a unicorn in modern baseball: 300 career wins. He’s 43 years old this week, needs 34 more victories to reach that elusive number, and he’s not backing down from the chase.
The road won’t be easy. It rarely is at this stage of a pitcher’s career. But for Verlander, chasing big goals has always been part of the plan.
“Since I was 22 years old, I’ve been saying I wanted to pitch until I was 45,” Verlander said. “It seemed possible. That was a pretty naive thing to say back then… but that stubborn mentality is what helps you achieve that goal.”
Now, with three years to go before he hits that age-45 target, Verlander is back where it all began: Detroit. He signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Tigers on February 10, marking a homecoming nearly nine years in the making. From 2005 to 2017, he was the face of the franchise, collecting 183 of his 266 career wins in a Tigers uniform.
This reunion isn’t just sentimental. It’s strategic. If Verlander is going to climb the final stretch of the mountain, he’ll do it in familiar territory.
“Obviously, 300 wins is something I would love to accomplish,” Verlander said.
Let’s break that down. To get from 266 to 300, he needs 34 wins.
That’s not an easy number for any pitcher in his 40s, let alone one coming off a tough 2025 season. Verlander made 29 starts for the Giants last year but finished just 4-11-a frustrating return for a competitor who still expects to win every time he takes the ball.
For context, a healthy Verlander would typically expect to notch double-digit wins in a season with that many starts.
“Last year made it difficult, only getting four,” he said. “I know it’s not going to be simple… it’s a year-by-year thing at this point.”
He’s not wrong. The list of pitchers who’ve managed 34+ wins after turning 43 is short-just four names long.
Phil Niekro (78), Jamie Moyer (64), Jack Quinn (61), and Nolan Ryan (35) are the only ones to do it. And it’s Ryan, the fireballer with a legendary work ethic, who’s often been Verlander’s closest comp throughout his career.
Now, they might share more than just velocity and longevity-they could both be members of the 300-win club.
But Verlander knows the math only works if the body holds up. That’s why he’s taking it one season at a time.
The one-year deal with Detroit isn’t just a farewell tour-it’s a calculated move. If he’s healthy in 2026, he’ll pitch again in 2027.
If he’s still going strong? Then it’s on to 2028.
“I’ll go out, do everything I can to pitch successfully, give us a chance to win, hopefully log a lot of innings, take the ball 30-plus times, let the chips fall where they may,” Verlander said. “If that ends up happening, and I feel like I’m able to do it again, rinse and repeat.”
That’s the blueprint. No grand declarations, no retirement tour. Just a Hall of Famer grinding out one more season, one more start, one more win-until the goal is either reached or out of reach.
And that’s the catch. Health is the one variable Verlander can’t fully control.
He’s realistic about that. If a major injury strikes, he’s not interested in another long rehab.
At this point, he’s earned the right to walk away on his terms.
“If something catastrophic were to happen, I’m not going to go back through a big surgery and rehab things,” he said.
But until that day comes, Verlander’s not done. Not by a long shot. He’s back in Detroit, chasing history, and still throwing with the same fire he had at 22-only now, the stakes are higher, the path narrower, and the finish line finally in sight.
For Verlander, the next chapter isn’t about proving anything to anyone. It’s about chasing the goals he set decades ago-and maybe, just maybe, doing something no one else in this era will ever do again.
