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Kirby Yates Retires After 32-29 Career, 101 Saves

By Drooid · Sep 27, 2026, 2:46 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Kirby Yates Retires

Summary

Justin Verlander Honored

Detroit held a pregame ceremony honoring Justin Verlander with former players, broadcasters, and city officials.
Genevieve, Verlander’s 7-year-old daughter, threw the first pitch and struck it out.
Kate Upton and son Bellamy watched from the field and hugged Verlander.
Verlander entered the game with 266 wins and 3,555 strikeouts, eighth all-time, after skipping a month of rehab.

History

Historical Context

Derek Jeter announced on Feb 12 2014 that the season would be his last, ending a 20-year, 3,465-hit Yankees career with a September 7 pregame tribute that featured Mayor Bill de Blasio, Commissioner Rob Manfred and Alex Rodriguez. The 2026 Detroit pre-game salute to Justin Verlander follows the same tradition of honoring long-serving pitchers, underscoring MLB’s long-standing practice of high-profile retirement ceremonies.

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Kirby Yates Retires

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