'I'm not giving up': Verlander races clock for one last start

CLEVELAND -- The Tigers’ plans for Justin Verlander's farewell are set, with a two-day celebration set for the Friday and Saturday of the regular season’s final weekend to recognize a two-decade career.

Verlander’s plans for that final stretch, on the other hand, are still a work in progress.

He badly wants another outing, maybe two. He has been fighting to get there, maybe to his detriment. With just a few weeks left in the season and his career, there is no more room for setbacks.

Can Verlander bid his farewell on the mound in a real game, rather than something purely ceremonial?

“I don't have that answer yet,” Verlander said Friday morning. “I think I did the thing I've always done my entire career, and that's try to push smartly through some stuff to get back, and my hamstring just wouldn't allow it this time. It kept setting me back a week, two weeks, a few weeks. And then that happened a few times. Obviously, it's at the point where if that happened again, I’ve got no shot at pitching. So ever since we started to build back up, it's been this balancing act of getting out of your own way.

"The thing that served me so well my whole career, has it been working against me a little bit this time? Just trying to really listen to the trainers, listen to my body and meanwhile, look at the calendar and see the time that's left.”

If there’s a bright side to this incredibly frustrating season for Verlander, it’s that the struggles to get back on the mound since his initial hip injury at the end of March have let him know he made the right decision to retire. His conversations with family, such as a Friday morning call with his daughter talking about school, have added to that sense.

That finality allows Verlander to throw some caution to the wind. The prolonged rehab process that a young pitcher might have to save his hamstring and arm for the long term doesn’t really apply to him now. He can heal when he’s retired. But he has to get to the point of pitching first.

“I'm not giving up, but trying to be as smart as I can about not having a setback,” he said. “It's starting to feel really, really good, knock on wood. I think we're getting close to my bullpen. The other day in Minnesota was a big step forward. Got up to a really healthy velocity. It gives me a lot of optimism that it can at least do what I need it to do, hopefully one or two times. I don't know what that looks like. Not there yet.”

The other factor is pride. Verlander doesn’t want to embarrass himself on the mound just to throw one more time. Nor does he want to hurt the team.

“I surely wouldn't go out there and hamstring our organization, our team and the work that these guys put in, if we're in a position to go to the playoffs,” he said. “If I don't feel I'm able to provide us a good chance to win, then that's not fair to anybody else. If we're not [in contention], then I think maybe that's a little bit different. But I wouldn't go out there hurt. If I can't get out there healthy, I don't want to do it. But if I can get back to healthy and can do it, then that's where I think the thought of maybe accelerating the timeline to maybe get back out there a couple of times makes a bit of sense.

“I'm not trying to go out there and make a fool of myself. But if I'm healthy enough, then I don't see why I can't.”

Whether Verlander pitches or not, he’ll get memories from the weekend celebration. The festivities begin on Sept. 25, when the Tigers honor Verlander’s on-field contributions with a pregame ceremony featuring guest speakers, gifts and a tribute video. The first 15,000 fans through the gates for the 6:40 p.m. ET game against the Pirates will receive a Verlander bobblehead. Fans are encouraged to come decked out in orange to honor a Verlander quirk: All four MLB teams he has played for -- the Tigers, Astros, Mets and Giants -- feature orange among their team colors.

On Sept. 26, the Tigers will honor Verlander the person through a charitable gift from the Detroit Tigers Foundation in Verlander’s name to recognize his off-field impact for causes including veterans support and animal welfare. The first 15,000 fans through the gates for the 1:10 p.m. game against the Pirates will receive a Verlander-themed item to go with a long-sleeved hooded jersey.