Justin Verlander’s final Major League start will be more than a ceremonial appearance, but the Detroit Tigers are not about to ask the 43-year-old right-hander to turn back the clock for nine innings.

The Tigers officially announced Verlander as Saturday’s starter against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park. The assignment comes after Verlander completed the final steps in his throwing program and cleared the remaining physical hurdles.

Detroit had previously targeted Saturday for Verlander’s farewell, but one significant question remained: How long will he pitch?

Manager A.J. Hinch did not reveal a specific pitch count or innings limit. He did, however, make it clear that the Tigers want Verlander’s appearance to resemble an actual start instead of a one-inning curtain call.

Tigers Want More Than a Ceremonial Inning

“We would love the nine-inning, no-hitter send-off, but [Verlander] is not really built up to do all of that,” Hinch said. “He’s made it perfectly clear that he doesn’t want the one-inning send off, come out in the second inning and off he goes. He’s going to give it his best shot to have as close to a normal game as he can.”

That leaves Verlander’s workload somewhere between one inning and a fantasyland complete game. In other words, the Tigers will let the outing develop rather than scripting an immediate exit.

Verlander has made only one MLB start this season, so expecting anything close to a traditional full workload would be unreasonable. Still, his recent throwing work convinced the Tigers that he could handle more than a token appearance.

That distinction matters. Verlander did not spend months working toward this return simply to record three outs, wave to the crowd and disappear down the dugout steps.

Verlander Plans to Give Everything He Has

Verlander did not offer his own innings prediction, but his comments matched Hinch’s description of the plan. He wants to absorb the significance of the afternoon without sacrificing his competitive approach.

“I don’t think I’m gonna put the headphones on, I’m not gonna not talk to people, that’s not what this is about. If I still need that to keep me focused for the last game I’ll ever pitch, something’s wrong,” Verlander said. “Just looking forward to trying to balance absorbing as much as I can with wanting to be competitive and go out there and give it everything I have, literally.”

Verlander announced his retirement in July, making Saturday his final opportunity to compete from a Major League mound.

There is no announced innings total and no promise of a particular pitch count. The plan is simpler than that: Give Verlander a legitimate start, allow him to pitch as long as his performance and physical condition permit, and avoid reducing one of the greatest careers in Tigers history to a three-out photo opportunity.