There are many reasons why baseball is a beautiful sport, but none more than for moments like this. If this doesn’t bring tears to your eyes, you’re not hooked up right.

Not a bad start either for Verlander’s final game: 5⅓ innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 6 strikeouts, 1 walk in a 4–3 no-decision win over the Pittsburgh Pirates that ended with a 2-run walk-off homer.

Verlander pitched one unremarkable season for the San Francisco Giants in 2025, finishing 4–11 with a 3.85 ERA in 29 games. But with a career 266–159 record, 3.33 ERA, 3 Cy Young Awards, a Top 40 finish in career wins (266), and a Top 10 in strikeouts (3,560), Verlander is a sure-bet first-round Hall of Famer.