It was about 20 minutes prior to gametime on Tuesday, June 2 when Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander walked into the visiting bullpen at Des Moines’ Principal Park to begin his warmup tosses.
By then, Verlander, who was making a rehabilitation assignment start for the Toledo Mud Hens, had already generated a large crowd with around 70 fans stretched out along the right field line holding up phones to get any pictures or videos of the big-league veteran.
Verlander, the visitor, was the star of the night, with the rehabbing right-handed pitcher tossing five strong innings for the Mud Hens against the Iowa Cubs. The hurler struck out three and allowed just four hits and zero walks while throwing 64 pitches, including 48 for strikes pitching for the Tigers’ Triple-A team.
Verlander, a likely lock for the Hall of Fame whenever he retires, has been one of the best pitchers in the game over the last two decades. He’s a nine-time all-star, three-time American League Cy-Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion. The 43-year-old veteran has pitched parts of 21 seasons in the big leagues with the Tigers, Astros, Giants and Mets, winning 266 career games and tallying 3,554 strikeouts.
Verlander began his career with the Tigers and returned to the team on a one-year deal this season. His return hasn’t gone according to plan. Verlander made just one appearance with the team before landing on the injured list with left hip inflammation on April 1. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 10.
One of the biggest steps in his return came with the visit to Iowa. Verlander took in the life of a temporary minor-leaguer again. He worked out at Principal Park during Toledo’s off day on Monday and bought the team’s postgame spread following Tuesday’s game from The Big Steer Restaurant & Lounge. His outing in Des Moines brought plenty of attention with fans flocking to the park early on Tuesday morning to try to snag an autograph.
Verlander saved his best work for the field with a dominating performance that offered a reminder of why he was once one of the best pitchers in baseball. Verlander needed just 12 pitches to get through the first inning, picking up a pair of strikeouts along the way. He also got Chicago Cubs utility man Matt Shaw, who was also making a rehab assignment, to lightly fly out to left field.
Iowa’s lineup struggled against Verlander most of the night. He retired four of the first five hitters he faced before giving up a hard-hit single up the middle to James Triantos. Triantos later doubled in the fourth.
Verlander generated eight whiffs and topped out at 95.1 miles per hour. After getting B.J. Murray to ground out to end the fifth inning, Verlander walked off the field to a standing ovation.
Verlander’s appearance marked the start of what could be a memorable series for fans in Des Moines. Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters Tuesday that All-Star Matthew Boyd would make a rehab start for Iowa on June 6. Boyd had been on the injured list with a left meniscus injury.
He could possibly square off with Tigers star Tarik Skubal, who has been on the injured list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery in May. Skubal is a two-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young Award winner as well.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Justin Verlander delivers strong performance in rehab start in Iowa