JV has made up his mind.
Giants' Justin Verlander makes decision on retirement plans originally appeared on The Sporting News
Justin Verlander has made up his mind.
The San Francisco Giants' right-handed pitcher has spoken publicly about what he hopes his baseball future will look like.
The future Hall of Famer doesn't want to be done yet.
Verlander spoke with John Shea of the San Francisco Standard about his hopes for 2026. He wants to keep pitching.
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The legendary right-hander will turn 43 in February.
“At this point in my career, if something goes really wrong, I’m not going to rehab a surgery or anything,” Verlander said. “I always understand that it could be it, but I think physically, I’ve shown some good health this season. As I’ve been on the mound, things have started to get better and better. To me, that’s a good sign with all the work I put in after my nerve injury last year, which notoriously takes a long time. The ball’s rolling in the right direction, and I would like to continue pitching. You never know. It’s a fickle game too, but I think the stuff is still there.”
Verlander is in his 20th MLB season. After getting hit hard by Washington on Sunday, his season ERA is at 4.53.
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With his pedigree, Verlander should be able to get a one-year deal somewhere this offseason, even if his numbers don't get markedly better the rest of the year.
He's the 10th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,500 strikeouts. He's up to 3,503 and counting after his Sunday start, and only needs seven to pass the legendary Walter Johnson on the strikeout leaderboard.
Verlander is one of the last of his kind, along with the likes of Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw. Soon, they'll all be gone, but for now, Verlander wants to keep on keeping on.
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Category: Baseball
