Justin Verlander-Max Scherzer cold war has one last wrinkle before they share a Hall of Fame class

Two of the greatest pitchers of their era — arguably the greatest — have passed through Detroit. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are Hall of Fame-bound, definitely on their first ballots, and maybe even unanimously. The Verlander-Scherzer 1-2 combo was not only one of the best the Tigers have ever seen, but one of the best the game has ever seen.

Verlander is scheduled to make the last start of his career on Saturday against the Pirates, and Scherzer is hoping to start the last game of the Blue Jays' season on Sunday. Verlander is retiring, and Scherzer hinted at not being far behind.

Going into the weekend, Verlander sits atop the active strikeout leaderboard at 3,554. Scherzer is trailing by four, having just closed the gap by seven in his last start against the Orioles. (He gave up four runs in five innings, but the guy still has his strikeout stuff).

Blue Jays manager John Schneider was cryptic when asked if Scherzer would be tuning into Verlander's last start at Comerica.

As great as they are, and as long as they spent together on the same team, there have always been whispers about a feud between the two players. Even when they crossed paths again on the Mets (however briefly), they spoke about each other with respect but also a clear reserve.

It's unlikely that there was any real interpersonal strife between the two, but when it comes to players who pitched at their caliber for so long and were constantly compared and contrasted in their golden eras, a little healthy rivalry makes a lot of sense.

Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer's heated rivalry is coming down to the wire

Scherzer may have the upper hand here. He's dealt with his own injury issues this season and will be pitching on fewer days rest than he's accustomed to, but he struck out 10 as recently as Aug. 30 against the Mariners (in a game when he went seven innings and only gave up one hit and one walk). Even at 41, Mad Max has still got it.

Verlander will have innumerable cobwebs to shake off. He, of course, hasn't pitched since March 30 against the Diamondbacks, when he gave up five runs in 3 2/3 innings and only added one strikeout to his career total.

But this is Must-See JV, back at Comerica Park, wanting more than anything to go out on a high note. He told AJ Pierzysnki on an episode of Foul Territory this week that he'll pitch "until my arm falls off." "If I can make it to one hundred pitches, I'm going to do it," he said.

Must-See JV isn't just a turn of phrase. No one is going to want to miss this.

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