Justin Verlander Reveals What He Really Wants To Do Even at Age 42

Justin Verlander Reveals What He Really Wants To Do Even at Age 42 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Justin Verlander has been a popular name in baseball since being selected second overall by the Detroit Tigers in the 2004 MLB Draft.

Two decades later, Verlander is still pitching and still throwing meaningful innings.

However, this year the three-time Cy Young winner has a subpar 1-9 record with a 4.53 ERA, although he just entered the MLB record books by becoming the 10th pitcher in history to record 3,500 strikeouts.

The moment came on Sunday against the Washington Nationals, although Verlander took the loss after going five innings and giving up five runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts.

While it has been a rough 2025 season for Verlander, the veteran revealed his plans for the future before the game on Sunday.

Verlander Drops Hint Regarding His Future

As for the future, the 42-year-old said he wants to continue pitching and feels that things are going in the "right direction," according to John Shea of The San Francisco Standard.

“I mean, I’d like to,” he said. “At this point in my career, if something goes really wrong, I’m not going to rehab a surgery or anything. I always understand that it could be it, but I think physically, I've shown some good health this season."

Despite Verlander's age, he feels like things are getting better.

"As I’ve been on the mound, things have started to get better and better," Verlander added. "To me, that’s a good sign with all the work I put in after my nerve injury last year, which notoriously takes a long time. The ball’s rolling in the right direction, and I would like to continue pitching. You never know. It’s a fickle game, too, but I think the stuff is still there.”

In the middle of July, Verlander's ERA was right at 4.99, but it has dropped down to 4.53 after Sunday's loss, as he has had some decent outings as of late.

Before Sunday's game against Washington, Verlander gave up a total of one earned run over his previous three starts and threw five innings in each of them.

Moreover, there is no doubt that Verlander belongs in the Hall of Fame.

• 3 Cy Young awards
• 9 All-Star appearances
• 2 World Series titles
• Two-time ERA title
• ALCS MVP
• Rookie of the Year
• Triple Crown win
• 263-155 career win-loss record
• 26 career complete games
• Career 3.33 ERA entering Sunday

While Verlander's most memorable seasons came with the Tigers, he won a pair of World Series as a member of the Houston Astros before spending time with the Mets briefly in 2023 before returning to the Astros.

Verlander signed a one-year deal with the Giants before the season, so he is set to hit free agency, and he will be 43 years old once the season begins.

Nonetheless, at least for now, Verlander plans on pitching in 2026, and it will be interesting to see where he lands after the season.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.