Justin Verlander’s Hall of Fame plaque is going to come with one awkward little twist: the cap.
The right-hander is planning to retire after the 2026 MLB season, and once the five-year wait is over, he should be headed to Cooperstown. The election part feels straightforward. The uniform choice does not.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Verlander still hasn’t decided whether he would wear a Detroit Tigers cap or a Houston Astros cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Nightengale wrote, “Justin Verlander says he’s undecided what cap he would wear on his eventual Hall of Fame plaque between the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros, where he won two World Series titles,”.
It’s an honest dilemma. Detroit is where Verlander spent the bulk of his career, and Houston is where he collected the biggest postseason hardware.
Verlander pitched 14 seasons for the Tigers and seven for the Astros. His numbers in Detroit are massive: 56.4 bWAR, a 3.51 ERA, 381 starts, 2,374 strikeouts, a 183-115 record and a 122 ERA+ in 2,514.2 innings. He was a seven-time All-Star there, and he won an MVP, a Cy Young and a Rookie of the Year award.
His Houston résumé is shorter, but it packs a punch. In seven seasons and 130 starts, he posted a 2.71 ERA, 22.4 bWAR, 962 strikeouts, a 73-28 record and a 155 ERA+ in 810.1 innings. He was a three-time All-Star with the Astros and won two Cy Young awards.
The postseason case is where Houston may have the edge. Verlander won two World Series titles with the Astros in three trips, and he logged a 3.75 ERA in 21 postseason starts for them. With Detroit, he reached two World Series and lost both, though he still posted a 3.39 ERA in the playoffs for the Tigers.
So the choice comes down to a real split between longevity and October success. The Tigers have the years.
The Astros have the rings. Verlander’s still weighing it, and whichever way he goes, it will say plenty about how he wants his career remembered.
In Other News…
Kenley Jansens Tigers Role Suddenly Feels Far Less Certain
Keider Monteros rise has quietly changed the shape of the Tigers bullpen, and it has done more than just give AJ Hinch another useful arm. With Montero handling longer relief outings, Detroit has been able to ease the burden on its veteran late-inning group, including Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen, while Hinch keeps sorting out who fits where as the rotation and schedule keep shifting. Jansen and Hinch have already talked through those changing responsibilities, a reminder that the Tigers signed the veteran expecting some flexibility.
For Jansen, the adjustment has been more noticeable than ideal. He has been used far less often since mid-June, and he has been working to find a rhythm after his injured-list stint, even as the bullpen picture keeps moving around him. The next wrinkle may come soon enough, with Detroit expected to keep reworking roles as it navigates a busier stretch and potentially asks Montero to take on even more.
Skubal And Torkelson Deliver The Tigers Rout Fans Have Been Waiting For
Tarik Skubal gave the Tigers exactly the kind of front-end dominance they have been chasing, carving through the Angels for seven scoreless innings in a 7-0 win and backing up the kind of buzz that has followed Detroit all summer. Spencer Torkelson supplied the thunder, launching two home runs as the offense kept pressure on early and never let up, another sign that this group is starting to look more complete as it keeps stacking wins.
Since June 1, Detroit has won 24 of 38 games, a stretch that has moved the club from promising to genuinely dangerous. The Tigers now get a chance to finish off the sweep Sunday with Casey Mize on the mound, and after a night like this, the bigger question is whether the rotation and the lineup can keep feeding off each other the way they did here.
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