Justin Verlander apparently has no intention of treating the final start of his Major League career like a ceremonial appearance.

During an appearance on Foul Territory, former MLB catcher A.J. Pierzynski revealed details from a conversation he said he had with Verlander on Sunday. According to Pierzynski, Verlander plans to push himself as far as possible when he starts for the Detroit Tigers against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday at Comerica Park.

The 43-year-old has not completed a traditional buildup and has made only one Major League start this season. None of that appears to have lowered his personal expectations.

Pierzynski said Verlander told him he intends to pitch “until my arm falls off.” Verlander also reportedly set an ambitious target for the farewell appearance.

“If I can make it to one hundred pitches, I’m going to do it,” Verlander told Pierzynski, according to Foul Territory.

Verlander Believes He Has Nothing to Lose

Pierzynski shared two other striking comments from his Sunday conversation with Verlander.

“I’m never going to do this again,” Verlander reportedly said.

“I literally have nothing to lose, and I don’t care what happens.”

Those comments must be attributed to Pierzynski because Verlander did not deliver them during a public media availability. Still, they fit with everything Verlander has said about the urgency surrounding his final comeback.

Verlander recently admitted that he skipped rehabilitation steps and risked suffering a serious injury while attempting to make one more start for Detroit. He told MLB.com that he could have ended the comeback attempt weeks earlier, but continued pushing because he wanted to pitch for himself and Tigers fans.

The latest remarks suggest Verlander is applying that same all-or-nothing mentality to Saturday’s game. There is no next season to protect, no future start to prepare for and no reason for him to conserve anything he has left.

One Hundred Pitches Would Be a Stunning Workload

Verlander’s desire to approach 100 pitches does not mean the Tigers will allow it.

Manager A.J. Hinch has already acknowledged that Verlander is not fully built up for a conventional start. Detroit wants the appearance to resemble a competitive outing, but the club has not announced a pitch count or innings target.

The Tigers previously outlined a plan that would avoid a one-inning farewell. Hinch said Verlander wants to get as close to a normal game as possible, assuming he records outs and Detroit’s defense cooperates.

Reaching 100 pitches would still qualify as a major surprise. Verlander has not pitched in an MLB game since March 30, and his return was repeatedly delayed by left hip inflammation and a left hamstring strain. The Tigers only officially cleared him for Saturday after he completed his final bullpen session Tuesday.

His willingness to keep going and the team’s willingness to let him keep going may prove to be two different things.

This Will Not Be a Ceremonial Farewell

One point is no longer in doubt: Verlander does not want to take the mound, record three outs and leave after an extended standing ovation.

He wants a legitimate competition.

“I don’t just want to go out there and do one inning and come out and wave,” Verlander recently told MLB.com. “I would like to toe the rubber one more time in a competitive way and try to win the Detroit Tigers a ballgame.”

That goal explains the language Pierzynski attributed to him. “Until my arm falls off” is almost certainly not a literal medical plan, but it captures the mindset of a pitcher who no longer needs to save something for his next appearance.

Verlander has spent his career testing the limits of what his right arm could accomplish. In his final start, he apparently plans to do it one more time.

The Tigers will determine when his afternoon ends. Verlander’s preference sounds considerably simpler.

Keep giving him the baseball.