Justin Verlander is trying to walk away from baseball, and his teammate Tarik Skubal is basically blocking the door. The interaction played out in real time at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, where Verlander showed up as a legends pick but couldn’t pitch because he’s on the injured list. And instead of a quiet farewell, Skubal made it a whole thing.
Verlander sat down with Talkin’ Baseball ahead of Tuesday’s game and got asked directly: what would it take to keep you from retiring? He pointed right at Skubal.
“I don’t know if there’s much you can do at this point,” Verlander said. “Although Skubal’s been telling me, you know, ‘All the best come back.’ So he’s trying to. He’s like, ‘Yeah, you know, everybody’s done it.’”
Verlander made his retirement official last Wednesday. He’s only pitched one game this season. The body isn’t cooperating, and he’s been honest about that.
“Here we are at the All-Star break, and I can’t get healthy,” he continued. “But hopefully I get healthy in the second half. You know that’s what I’m trying to do.”
There’s something fitting about Skubal being the one pushing back. He’s the current ace in Detroit, the guy who took over as the Tigers’ rotation anchor while Verlander was out in Houston and New York. If anyone knows what it means to watch Verlander from the other side, it’s the guy who now holds the keys to that staff.
Verlander’s retirement announcement was more reflective than dramatic
When Verlander announced his decision last week, he didn’t just go through the motions. He actually put some thought into it. “This season has challenged me in ways I haven’t experienced before, both physically and mentally,” he said. “I’ve always believed that as long as I could compete at the level I expect of myself, I’d keep playing. I never wanted to retire because of a milestone, a number, or a date on the calendar. I wanted the game to tell me when it was time.”
“Over the last several months, I’ve realized that time has come,” he added. “While I’m fully committed to giving my team everything I have for the rest of this season, I’ve decided this will be my last. It’s fitting that I get to finish where it all started – with the Detroit Tigers, the organization that drafted me and gave me my first opportunity.”
He’s still trying to get healthy enough to pitch at all in the second half. That part isn’t guaranteed. But Skubal’s argument — that every great pitcher eventually finds a way back — isn’t wrong historically. Nolan Ryan pitched until he was 46. Randy Johnson threw until 45. Verlander is 43 now and clearly still has the competitive wiring. The question is whether his body will let him answer the phone.
Skubal isn’t the only person who wants to see Verlander keep going. But he’s the one saying it to his face. That matters.
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