Alex Avila congratulated Justin Verlander before his scheduled final start Saturday against Pittsburgh. Verlander, who had been on the injured list with hip inflammation, was activated that day; he announced in July that this would be his last season.
Avila wrote on Twitter/X: “Congratulations on an amazing career my friend!! It was a hell of a ride.” He caught more of Verlander’s starts than any other catcher in the pitcher’s 21-year MLB career. On MLB Network Friday, Avila said Verlander had asked him to attend the final start and he would not miss it.
Verlander spent his first 11 MLB seasons with Detroit, winning Rookie of the Year, a Cy Young Award and an MVP Award. He ranks eighth in MLB history with 3,554 career strikeouts and 29th in games started, with 556.
