PHOENIX — Justin Verlander’s return to the Detroit Tigers didn’t unfold as a storybook beginning. In his first start for the team since 2017, the veteran right-hander struggled through 3 2/3 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night, allowing five runs on six hits in a 9-6 loss that dropped Detroit to 2-2 on the season. The outing, while just one start, served as a reminder that rebuilding a pitching arsenal after a mid-career move and an injury isn’t always seamless, even for a future Hall of Famer.
Verlander, 40, had been a picture of focused preparation leading up to the game, arriving at Chase Field with his signature headphones on, a routine honed over two decades in the majors. Manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged the need to give his ace space, saying before the game, “Today we stay out of his way a little bit more, just given the headphones and the focus.” But that concentration didn’t translate to the mound, where Verlander found himself battling from the outset.
The Diamondbacks jumped on Verlander quickly. Ketel Marte singled on the first pitch and Corbin Carroll followed with a triple after a seven-pitch at-bat, scoring on a subsequent fielder’s choice. The inning required 28 pitches, a sign of the struggles to arrive. In the second, after a pair of singles, Carroll connected on a 94 mph fastball, sending it 403 feet to right field for a three-run home run, extending Arizona’s lead to 5-0. It was a moment that visibly frustrated Verlander, who watched the ball sail and then shook his head, looking down at the mound.
“Not the way I obviously wanted it to go, which is disappointing for myself more than anybody else in the world,” Verlander said after the game. “Just like I’ve done my whole career, I come in here and start trying to think about what was off and how I can fix it and why it was off and get ready for the next one.”
A Historic Return, A Rocky Start
Verlander’s return to Detroit is a unique chapter in baseball history. He joined Don Sutton as the only pitchers to make at least 380 starts with their original team, 175 elsewhere, and then return for another start with the first club. Sutton, who rejoined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988 at age 43 after seven years with other teams, made three starts before securing his first win back with the Dodgers, as MLB.com noted. Verlander, however, faces the challenge of regaining peak form after a season with the Houston Astros and a recent injury.
The Tigers signed Verlander to a two-year, $30 million contract in December, hoping he could anchor their rotation and mentor a young pitching staff. But Monday’s outing underscored that the Verlander of old – the one who consistently hit 99 mph – isn’t necessarily back yet. He spent much of Spring Training working on his command and velocity, seeking the finishing touches that come with regular-season competition.
Slider Struggles and Early Exit
The key to Verlander’s struggles appeared to be his slider. While he showed flashes of it early, the pitch deserted him at crucial moments, particularly on Carroll’s home run. He finished the game with only one strikeout, a glimpse of his classic curveball in the third inning, and averaged 93.2 mph on his fastball. He allowed 11 called strikes with his fastball and four swinging strikes on his slider.
Hinch pulled Verlander after 11 outs and eight baserunners, a decision that came after a brief conversation with the pitcher on the dugout railing. There was no visible argument, a departure from Verlander’s earlier years, but a clear indication that both recognized the outing wasn’t going as planned. “Later in the game, I think I started controlling the fastball a little bit better, which was fine,” Verlander said. “But they had way too many good swings on most of my pitches. That needs to be better.”
Carroll’s Night and Looking Ahead
Corbin Carroll had a particularly productive night at the plate, becoming just the second player in Major League history to hit a triple and a home run against Verlander in the same game. The other player to accomplish that feat was Denard Span, who did so on August 9, 2018, while playing for the Seattle Mariners against Verlander, who was then pitching for the Houston Astros.
Catcher Dillon Dingler acknowledged the execution wasn’t where it needed to be. “I just think some pitches didn’t do what he wanted to and backed up to good spots for them to hit them at. … Obviously he’s thinking about some different things, pitch mechanics or whatever it may be. But I think it was just execution.”
Verlander himself remained pragmatic. “It’s one start,” he said. “I think that’s one of the things that I’m good at is being very objective. I’m not going to sit here and say spring was OK and that was just a poor day. I don’t think that what I did today is sustainable. If that’s the way hitters are going to react against me, I need to be sharper than that.”
The Tigers will need Verlander to find that sharpness quickly. His next start is scheduled for Sunday night at Comerica Park against the St. Louis Cardinals, a nationally televised game that will offer a significant opportunity for him to turn the page and demonstrate the form that made him one of the game’s most dominant pitchers. The game is expected to draw a large crowd eager to notice Verlander back on the mound in Detroit.
This was a difficult night for the Tigers, but the season is young. The team will look to bounce back in the coming days, and Verlander will undoubtedly be working tirelessly to refine his approach and rediscover his command. The focus now shifts to preparation and adjustments as the Tigers look to build on their season.
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