New York Mets starter Justin Verlander is a likely first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, and now the focus has shifted to what team he will represent upon admission into Cooperstown.
Verlander played 12 full seasons with the Detroit Tigers and five with the Houston Astros before signing a two-year deal worth $86 million with the Mets last offseason.
With New York set to take on Detroit at Comerica Park as part of a three-game series, Verlander was asked for his thoughts on entering the Hall-of-Fame as a Tiger.
He seemed to be caught off-guard by the question, as shown in the video below from Detroit sports reporter Brad Galli.
Justin Verlander laughed off the question from @riger1984 about going into the Hall of Fame as a Detroit Tiger pic.twitter.com/cpe1Lxm3Vt
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) May 2, 2023
“I have time left on my clock and that is going to determine a lot,” Verlander added according to Fox 2 Sportsworks’ Will Burchfield.
“I know Detroit will always have a special place in my heart and in my career and what that looks like when I retire, I just can’t answer that right now.”
Verlander was born and raised in Virginia, and his wife Kate Upton was born and raised in St. Joseph, Michigan. He won both of his World Series titles in Houston. He is the only player in MLB history with multiple World Series championships (two), an MVP Award, a Rookie of the Year Award, and three Cy Young Awards.
Justin Verlander is expected to start against the Tigers following current Met and former Tigers star Max Scherzer in the rotation.
Verlander’s career totals currently stand at 244 wins and 133 losses, with an ERA of 3.24 and 3,198 strikeouts. The 40-year-old right hander appeared in 28 games for the Astros last season, compiling a record of 18-4 on the season along with a 1.75 ERA and 185 strikeouts.
The Mets are currently 16-13 on the season while the Tigers are 10-17, including a 5-7 record at Comerica Park.
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