Justin Verlander has a championship on his mind as he returns to the Detroit Tigers.
The future Hall of Fame pitcher, who spent the first 13 years of his career in Detroit, has won a pair of World Series with the Houston Astros (2017, 2022). However, he failed to secure a championship in two trips to the Fall Classic during his first Tigers tenure (2006, 2012).
"The one thing I would like to accomplish in Detroit that I had a couple shots at that I really regret not achieving was a World Series title," Verlander said Thursday, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
The three-time Cy Young winner said he started contemplating a Tigers reunion at the end of the 2025 season while suiting up for the San Francisco Giants.
"I was sitting there thinking about where I wanted to be, and Detroit just kept coming to my mind," Verlander added. "As soon as the season was over, I called Scott (Harris), Chris (Ilitch), and A.J. (Hinch) and let my intentions be known. ... At first, it didn't seem like there was much room for me. We had some very candid conversations, Scott and I, and unfortunately, there were some things that happened recently where some innings they were planning on aren't going to be filled, so I think that opened the door."
The 42-year-old Verlander, who signed a one-year, $13-million contract to play his 21st season, joined the club's rotation after right-hander Reese Olson underwent surgery for a torn labrum, which will sideline him for the 2026 season.
During his first stint with the Tigers, Verlander won AL MVP (2011), AL Cy Young (2011), and AL Rookie of the Year (2006) to go along with six All-Star nods and four campaigns with at least 239 strikeouts.
Detroit is likely to enter the 2026 campaign as the favorite to win the AL Central.
