Justin Verlander Gets Emotional About the Time Baseball Took From His Family
Justin Verlander gave everything he had to baseball.
That commitment made him one of the greatest pitchers of his generation, but greatness came with a price. Following the final start of his 21-year Major League career, Verlander became emotional while discussing the time the game took away from his wife and children, and the years he now hopes to give back to them.
Asked what he wants his daughter, Genevieve, to understand about why his career mattered so much, Verlander delivered one of his most personal answers of the weekend.
“You commit your life to something. I’ve been a baseball player since I was 5 years old. I gave everything for this.
“I left home. She’s in school, and I wasn’t there.
“There’s just a level of commitment it takes to be great at something.
“And I hope she understands. She means the world to me. My family means the world to me.
“I’m happy that I get the opportunity now to make up for lost time.”
Baseball Required Everything From Justin Verlander
Verlander’s commitment produced a career that included three Cy Young Awards, an American League MVP award, three no-hitters, two World Series championships and more than 3,500 strikeouts.
It also produced missed school days, extended road trips and countless hours away from home.
Verlander never hid how much baseball meant to him. He pushed through hip and hamstring injuries because he was determined to make one final competitive appearance, even admitting that he risked further injury in the process.
But as he prepares for retirement, Verlander is no longer focused on chasing another milestone or finding a way to make one more start.
He is thinking about making up for lost time.
Genevieve’s Surprise Hits Verlander ‘Like a Ton of Bricks’
Verlander delivered 5.1 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing two runs while recording six strikeouts. After he retired Bryan Reynolds for the first out of the sixth inning, A.J. Hinch walked toward the mound with Genevieve beside him.
Verlander had no idea she was coming.
“I didn’t imagine, really. I just tried to let things play out the way that they were going to.
“I had no clue how my game was going to go and how I was going to feel. I was hoping to be able to go long enough to get a decision. I think to go through five was a hope of mine.
“But the way it went, with Genevieve running out, I had no clue. I was totally blindsided, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. That was amazing.
“I was sobbing and had to tell her, just to make sure that she understood, I was happy. She was fine. I think I just wanted to make sure she was fine. She hasn’t seen me cry like that.
“Walking off the field with my family, obviously, we’ve talked a lot about how my life has changed and what my family means to me and what I’m looking forward to most in retirement. To be able to walk off the field with them, I can’t think of a better ending.”
The scene offered a striking contrast to the pitcher Detroit watched for more than a decade. Verlander spent his career displaying controlled fury on the mound. This time, there was nothing to control.
He held his daughter and cried.
Verlander Wanted His Daughter to Understand His Tears
Genevieve did not deliver a speech when she reached the mound. She did not need one.
Asked if he could hear what she said during their embrace, Verlander explained that his main concern was making sure she understood why her father was crying.
“No, she didn’t say anything.
“She was just happy to be out there. I was just making sure that she knew that I was also happy that she was out there.”
The moment came one day after Genevieve threw a strike to her father during the ceremonial first pitch.
Verlander was every bit as proud of that pitch as he was of anything he accomplished during the weekend.
“I mean, come on. She went viral for throwing a banger of a first pitch. Absolutely nailed it.
“We had practiced it, and she was so confident. Just went out there and nailed it. So awesome.
“And then I had no idea. I was very blindsided by today. That was incredible.”
The Perfect Ending for Verlander and His Family
Verlander’s career ended where it began, in a Tigers uniform at Comerica Park. The Tigers then completed the celebration with an improbable ninth-inning comeback, defeating Pittsburgh 4-3 on Eduardo Valencia’s walk-off home run.
The result was memorable, but Verlander’s final weekend was ultimately about more than baseball.
During his emotional retirement speech, Verlander thanked his family for showing him there was more to life than the game. One day later, they were beside him when he walked off a Major League field for the final time.
Verlander once hoped to pitch until he was 45, but injuries helped convince him that it was time to retire. He nevertheless fought his way back for one last start because he wanted a genuine competition, not a ceremonial inning.
He got 5.1 innings, six strikeouts and one final ovation.
More importantly, he got to leave with his family.
Baseball took Verlander away from them for much of his adult life. Now, it is giving him back.