Tigers legend Justin Verlander’s final career start signals the sad end of an era in baseball

When Justin Verlander steps off the mound for the final time in his illustrious career on Saturday, it won’t just be the final start of his Hall of Fame career. It also signals the end of an era in baseball history: the death of the workhorse starting pitcher.

The leaders on MLB’s all-time pitching lists will likely never change again. Cy Young has the most wins of all time with 511. Verlander, who leads active players by a wide margin, has 266. On the all-time wins list, Verlander is tied for 37th with Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey.

Verlander, who pitched for 21 seasons, won’t be reaching the esteemed 300-win threshold.

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In fact, no pitcher may ever reach 300 wins again. Today, bullpens are more prevalent, starters are pulled from games earlier than ever, and pitchers are getting injured as they chase velocity, shortening their careers. The 300-win pitcher may be a thing of the past.

The active players who trail Verlander on the list? Max Scherzer has 224 wins and is 42 years old, while Gerrit Cole has 162 and is 35. Cole would have to average 20 wins a year for the next seven seasons to reach 300, meaning he would have to pitch at an elite level through his age-42 season to even have a shot.

While it’s hard to bet against Cole, it’s improbable at best. Reaching 300 wins would require remarkable longevity and production.

Just behind Cole is Chris Sale, who is 37 years old with 159 wins. He will not be eclipsing 300 wins either.

In today’s day and age of baseball, 200 wins may be the new 300 wins.

While Verlander and Scherzer won’t reach 300 wins, they are both part of the exclusive 3,000-strikeout club. Only 20 pitchers have ever struck out 3,000 batters in their careers.

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) with his wife, Kate Upton, prior to the Fathers’ Day game between Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers on June 21, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Verlander has 3,554 strikeouts, while Scherzer has 3,543, and unlike the 300-win milestone, the 3,000-strikeout club appears more attainable.

Sale currently has 2,779 strikeouts, including 190 this season. With another healthy season or two, the Atlanta Braves left-hander could eclipse 3,000 strikeouts.

Cole has 2,374 strikeouts and has averaged 239 strikeouts over a full season. With three more healthy seasons, he could also enter the club.

After those two, there are no surefire candidates to eclipse 3,000.

Here are the next six pitchers on the active strikeout list:

• Kevin Gausman (35 years old), 2,131 strikeouts
• Yu Darvish (39 years old), 2,075 strikeouts
• Sonny Gray (36 years old), 2,071 strikeouts
• Jacob deGrom (38 years old), 2,047 strikeouts
• Aaron Nola (33 years old), 2,045 strikeouts
• Zack Wheeler (36 years old), 2,008 strikeouts

While some of them have outside chances, reaching 3,000 would require durability and strong production deep into their 30s, which is no sure thing.

At the peak of his powers, Verlander was both durable and productive, and that potent combination made him one of the best pitchers of the century.

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander watches from the dugout during the sixth inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Verlander dominated in an era when more was asked of starting pitchers. In addition to his MVP Award, he won three Cy Young Awards and a Triple Crown, was named Rookie of the Year, made 10 All-Star teams, won two ERA titles and is a two-time World Series champion.

Alongside Clayton Kershaw, Scherzer, CC Sabathia and Félix Hernández, Verlander is one of the best pitchers of this generation. Each had multiple seasons with more than 200 innings pitched, a rarity in today’s game.

In 2011, when Verlander won the MVP Award, he had a 24-5 record and a 2.40 ERA over 251 innings. From 2007 to 2019, Verlander had only one season in which he finished with fewer than 200 innings pitched: 2015, when he threw 133 1/3 innings.

The death of the workhorse starting pitcher took place over Verlander’s career. In 2006, Verlander’s first full season in the big leagues, 45 pitchers logged 200 or more innings.

In 2026, with some starters having just one more start left in the season, there are only two.

Miami Marlins star Sandy Alcantara has 212 innings, and Philadelphia Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez has exactly 200. Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha has 194 1/3 innings, and with a strong final start, he could eclipse 200.

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander acknowledges the crowd during the second inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco on Aug. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

In 2025, just three pitchers hit the 200 innings mark.

Pitchers may reach similar heights again, but they are unlikely to do it the way Verlander did. The future Hall of Famer’s career serves as a harsh reminder of how much the starter pitcher has changed over the years.

So, when Verlander takes the mound for one final time with the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, appreciate his greatness. We won’t see anything like it again.