The Aporia
The Aporia
Hogg, D. (2026, September 26). Verlander leaves final start of 21-year career as 7-year-old daughter sprints to the mound for hug. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/verlander-leaves-final-start-of-21-year-career-as-7-year-old-daughter-sprints-to-the-mound-for-hug/article_2fda72e2-43e8-5ac5-8a85-e7c84bbb88e1.html
Hogg, Dave. “Verlander leaves final start of 21-year career as 7-year-old daughter sprints to the mound for hug.” Toronto Star, 26 Sept. 2026, https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/verlander-leaves-final-start-of-21-year-career-as-7-year-old-daughter-sprints-to-the-mound-for-hug/article_2fda72e2-43e8-5ac5-8a85-e7c84bbb88e1.html.
Hogg, Dave. “Verlander leaves final start of 21-year career as 7-year-old daughter sprints to the mound for hug.” Toronto Star, September 26, 2026. https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/verlander-leaves-final-start-of-21-year-career-as-7-year-old-daughter-sprints-to-the-mound-for-hug/article_2fda72e2-43e8-5ac5-8a85-e7c84bbb88e1.html.
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On September 26, Justin Verlander, a 43-year-old pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, made his final Major League Baseball start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In an emotional moment during the sixth inning, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch signaled to remove Verlander from the game but instead called out to Verlander's 7-year-old daughter, Genevieve, who was in the stands wearing a Tigers jersey with her father’s name and number. Genevieve ran to the mound, hugged her sobbing father, and shared an embrace as Comerica Park erupted into applause. After this heartwarming exchange, Verlander bid farewell to his teammates and left the field hand-in-hand with his daughter. His wife, model Kate Upton, held their 1-year-old son, Bellamy, and joined in a group hug on the warning track before Verlander took off his cap and waved to fans as he descended into the dugout.
