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Justin Verlander's final start ends with daughter making pitching change

Justin Verlander concluded his twenty-year professional career on Saturday with an emotional final appearance for the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Following his retirement announcement in July, the forty-three-year-old starting pitcher took the mound for one final outing, allowing two solo home runs and recording six strikeouts over five and a third innings before his daughter Genevieve jogged onto the field to summon him from the game.

Manager A.J. Hinch orchestrated the memorable pitching change, allowing father and daughter to share a lengthy embrace while the ballpark audience and opposing Pittsburgh Pirates offered a standing ovation.

Family members including his wife Kate Upton and son Bellamy soon joined them on the dirt, capping a career highlighted by three Cy Young Awards, an MVP honor, and two World Series championships. Although the Tigers trailed two to zero when he departed, Eduardo Valencia secured a four to three victory with a ninth-inning two-run home run to take Verlander off the loss.

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