00:00Friday marked Justin Verlander's 43rd trip around the sun, and how did our future Hall
00:05of Famer celebrate? By heading to the backfields in Lakeland for his second bullpen of the week,
00:10obsessing over pitch shapes, with that perfectionism we've admired for 20 years.
00:14For the first time, since his trade to Houston 9 years ago, he was throwing to catcher Jake
00:20Rogers and working alongside pitching coach Chris Fetter. The moment wasn't lost on him,
00:25even if he approached it with his usual workman-like focus. This birthday puts Verlander
00:30in extremely rare air. According to baseball reference, only one player in franchise history
00:36has pitched for the Tigers at the age of 43, Kenny Rogers. During the 2008 season, Rogers made 30
00:43starts for Detroit at that age. It's a full-circle moment, considering Rogers was signed in 2006 as
00:49a mentor to a then-22-year-old rookie Verlander. Verlander has been talking about pitching into
00:54his mid-40s, since he was that age. During his recent reintroductory press conference,
01:00he reflected on that bold prediction. He admitted that looking back, saying he wanted to pitch until
01:05he was 45, was probably a naive thing to say, especially considering the injuries and the
01:11grind he has endured. However, he credits that same stubborn mentality for actually getting him
01:16to this point, while he admits he has to monitor things differently now, adjusting his heavy lifting
01:22routines and recovery. He insists age isn't something he thinks about often. He feels he moves well and
01:28recovers well. To stay at the top of his game, he's adapted his mindset too. He mentioned having
01:34conversations with other legendary athletes like Tom Brady and Tiger Woods, picking their brains on how
01:40to prolong a career at an elite level, and learning from things they regret. For him, it's about
01:45constantly learning and adapting. Last season was a critical box for him to tick. He needed to prove to
01:52stay healthy, get into a routine, and pitch every five days. Once he did that, the success followed.
01:58That strong performance down the stretch is precisely why president of baseball operations
02:03Scott Harris brought him back to Detroit. It wasn't about sentimentality. It was about need.
02:09When Reese Olsen went down with a shoulder injury, Verlander's late-season form made him the ideal
02:15addition to solidify the rotation. Kenny Rogers made his final MLB appearance on September 14,
02:222008, at 43 years and 309 days old. If Verlander pitches a full season and makes a deep playoff run,
02:30he might not surpass that mark to become the oldest Tiger ever. But if he puts together another solid year
02:36at 43, it raises an interesting question for all of us watching. If he can do this again, who's to
02:42say
02:42we won't be having the exact same conversation next spring about him pitching at 44?
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