Justin Verlander gives Tigers fans one last spectacle to wrap up picture-perfect weekend

Verlander Weekend at Comerica Park didn't disappoint. Their celebration of his career on Friday was full of tears — mostly from the man himself, as Dan Dickerson, Jim Leyland, Alex Avila, Dave Dombrowski, and Brandon Inge among many, many others saluted the best pitcher in the franchise's history. Verlander said one last thank you to the fans at a sold-out game and hinted that he'll soon go into the Hall of Fame as a Detroit Tiger.

But the main event came on Saturday, when Verlander took the mound for one last time. There was a long time when no one was sure that we would ever see him pitch again, and had to wonder if his last appearance as a Tiger would be a trampling away from home.

He worked tirelessly to get back, though, and it finally paid off. His first pitch to Pirates leadoff hitter Ryan O'Hearn was a strike — a 92.4 MPH fastball. He took down the top of Pittsburgh's order 1-2-3.

The thing that everyone was there to see, though, was the strikeout. He got his first of the game and 3,555th of his career promptly in the top of the second, when Oneil Cruz went down swinging on a slider. Verlander would tack on five more before his day was over.

As Jason Benetti and Andy Dirks noted on the broadcast, this was Verlander's game, and AJ Hinch could only sit and watch, just like the rest of us. Although he'd given up a solo homer in the fourth, Verlander came back out for the fifth. Jacob Gonzalez tacked on another run, but Zach McKinstry got his starter out of a potentially messy inning with an incredible throw to third.

Tigers fans said their last thank you's and goodbyes to Verlander in the sixth, after his 91st pitch.

Justin Verlander shines one last time in emotional final start as a Detroit Tiger

More waterworks (oh, so many tears) followed when Hinch came out to take the ball from Verlander. But he didn't head straight to the mound. He redirected to the stands and invited Verlander's daughter Genevieve onto the field to accompany her father as he walked back to the dugout one final time.

The game stood still as Verlander tipped his cap to the crowd, high-fived his teammates, and enjoyed his last standing ovation at Comerica. He went down into the tunnel with his wife Kate Upton and their two children.

Tigers fans had no idea what to expect when Verlander returned, given his health throughout this season, but this was more than any of us could've asked for. One last start, 5 1/3 strong innings, 3,560 career strikeouts. Must-See JV.

The game went on with Tyler Kinley on the mound, but for a lot of us, the day ended as soon as Verlander left the game. It was the perfect sendoff for a guy who has already declared himself a Detroit Tiger for life. But we already knew that.

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