Justin Verlander bids emotional farewell to baseball in Detroit

An emotional sendoff in Detroit

Justin Verlander closed his legendary baseball career with an emotional final start for the Detroit Tigers. The 43 year old pitcher was pulled from the game in the sixth inning in an unexpected way. His seven year old daughter, Genevieve, ran onto the mound alongside manager A.J. Hinch to deliver the news.

Genevieve, wearing a Tigers jersey with her father's name, hugged Verlander, who was visibly sobbing. The rest of the Tigers team soon joined them on the mound. Verlander then walked off the field holding his daughter's hand to a standing ovation from the fans at Comerica Park. His wife, Kate Upton, and their one year old son, Bellamy, met them on the field for another family hug.

A legendary career comes to a close

Verlander pitched five and a third innings, allowing two runs and five hits. He walked one batter and struck out six during his 91 pitch performance. This was only his second start of a season that was heavily disrupted by a sore hip and a hamstring injury.

The veteran pitcher ends his career with 266 wins and 159 losses. He recorded 3,560 strikeouts, which puts him eighth on the all time major league list. He also finished with a 3.33 career ERA. Verlander is a three time Cy Young Award winner and a ten time All Star across 21 seasons in the major leagues.

To show how long his career has lasted, Pittsburgh's 20 year old shortstop, Konnor Griffin, was not even born when Verlander made his debut for Detroit on July 4, 2005.

Honoring a Detroit icon

The fans in Detroit showed their appreciation for Verlander throughout the entire day. He received standing ovations when he went to warm up in the bullpen and when he returned to the dugout. Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons, a longtime Tigers fan, announced Verlander as part of the starting lineup.

When the game started, Verlander took the field alone for the first inning while his teammates stayed in the dugout to give him the spotlight. The Pittsburgh Pirates did manage to score two runs against him, using solo home runs by Brandon Lowe and Nick Gonzales, but the day was all about celebrating Verlander's historic career.