Verlander defers Hall of Fame cap choice ahead of final start
The short version
- Justin Verlander's final career start is scheduled for Saturday in Detroit.
- Verlander said he is undecided whether his Hall of Fame plaque would feature the Tigers or Astros logo.
- He won two Cy Young Awards and two World Series with Houston after winning Cy Young and MVP with Detroit.
- Verlander called the 2019 Astros the best team he played on and 2022 his favorite season.
- The Hall of Fame makes the final call on plaque logos and has previously allowed inductees to go without one.
The retiring pitcher, who starred for both Detroit and Houston, says it is too soon to decide which logo appears on his Cooperstown plaque.
Justin Verlander will make the last start of his career Saturday in Detroit, but the retiring pitcher is in no hurry to settle one lingering question: which cap he would wear on a Hall of Fame plaque.
Appearing on the "On Base with Mookie Betts" podcast, Verlander said it was "not fair" to ask him to choose right now between the Tigers and Astros. He added that he does not enjoy discussing the topic and appreciates the speculation about Cooperstown but is not ready to engage with it yet.
Verlander spent 14 seasons with Detroit, winning AL Rookie of the Year in 2006 and capturing both the AL Cy Young Award and AL MVP in 2011. After an August 2017 trade to Houston, he added two more Cy Young Awards and won both of his World Series titles with the Astros. He announced his retirement earlier this summer.
On the podcast, Verlander called the 2019 Astros, who lost the World Series in seven games to the Washington Nationals, the best team he ever played on. He said 2019 was also his most dominant season, when he struck out 300 batters for the first time, while 2022, when Houston won its second championship, was his favorite year overall.
The Hall of Fame has the final say on plaque logos but considers input from inductees. Greg Maddux and Tony La Russa were both inducted with no team logo displayed after declining to pick.
