Seeing Justin Verlander in a Detroit Tigers jersey was one of the coolest moments of the Opening Week of the 2026 MLB season. He pitched in Arizona against the Diamondbacks to begin his second tenure with the Tigers. The outing did not go well at all, but the 43-year-old knows that there is much more to come from him with this World Series-contending team.

Against the D-backs, Verlander allowed five runs off of six hits, including a home run from Corbin Carroll. He walked two and struck out only one hitter. The Diamondbacks would win 9-6. Verlander is set to start at home in his next outing against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Ahead of their home opener against the Red Birds, Verlander spoke to the media and gave a Detroit admission that will catch fans' attention.

“More than anything, just being a part of this city is quite frankly cool to come back to,” Verlander said. “It was already changing when I left, but to see how it has grown now (We got guys living downtown, which was not the way it was early in my career), there are just so many memories here. I grew up as a kid when I came here, and I am just a totally different person now with a family. 43 years old, a lot of perspective. I’m excited to come back and relive it, and kind of embrace the time that I had here and look back fondly, and hopefully continue to leave a mark.”

Game 1 of the series starts at 1:10 ET. Michael McGreevy starts for the Cardinals against Framber Valdez, making his home debut for the Tigers.