While the famous Tom Hanks line delivered in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own has been often referenced, its validity was debunked at Detroit’s Comerica Park during MLB’s final regular season weekend. The old ‘one, two, three strikes you’re out’ chant seemed more appropriate as two longtime pitchers and a veteran umpire all called it quits amidst tears rolling down their cheeks.
Each in their own moment, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Kirby Yates, Tigers Hall of Fame bound hurler Justin Verlander, and sometimes controversial 31-year umpire Laz Diaz left their emotions show as their MLB careers all concluded on the same weekend.
In an ironic twist of baseball fate Yates and Verlander created the first MLB regular-season game in history in which both starting pitchers were age 39 or older and were making their final career appearance. It was also the third time both starting pitchers made their final regular-season appearance after playing in at least 12 seasons. The plot thickened as Diaz was behind the plate, just as he was in 2006 when Verlander pitched in his first post-season game in New York, beating the Yankees 4-3.
Yates was the first in need of a Kleenex. The 12-year veteran, who played for eight MLB teams, joined the Pirates at the August trade deadline. Along the way he was named to two all-star teams and recorded 101 career saves, leading the Major League with 41 in 2019.
Recently returning from the injured list, Pirates manager Don Kelly gave Yates his first career starting assignment as the ‘opener’ in the season’s next to last game. He thought it was a joke and admitted pre-game nerves. When it was over 1.2 innings later, Yates walked into retirement with moist cheeks after allowing no runs and striking out a batter.
“I kind of joke around with everybody, tell them, I’m an overachiever ad I think I overachieved in every way possible,” Yates admitted. “It was a bittersweet day. I’m sad it’s over, but I’m really proud of what I have accomplished and everything that I’ve done. I gave it everything I have, and I’ve got no regrets.”
Married, with two children, Yates said the home team has become his favorite.
“They want Dad home as much as they possibly can. We’ve had conversations before; it kind of hits you differently when they tell you they’d rather have you home. So, as a father, when you have that it kind of gets you pretty good in the heart.”
It had been 180 days since Verlander’s last and only pitching appearance before his final start September 26th. A capacity crowd of 41,377 was on-hand for the much-anticipated conclusion of a career that spanned 21 years, with 266 victories and 3,561 strikeouts. He added six more Ks, while allowing two solo home runs pitching into the sixth inning.
“This season has challenged me in ways I haven’t experienced before, both physically and mentally. Over the last several months, I’ve realized that time has come to walk away. While I am fully committed to giving my team everything I have, I had decided this will be my last. It’s fitting that I get to finish in Detroit where it all started.”
When that time came in the sixth inning, Verlander went out in style. Unbeknown to him, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch summoned Verlander’s seven-year-old daughter Genevieve from the stands to accompany him to the mound for Verlander’s final exit.
“The way it went, with Genevieve running out, I had no clue,” Verlander said. “I was totally blindsided. It hit me like a ton of bricks. That was amazing. I was sobbing. Walking off the field with my family — we have talked a lot about what my family means to me, what I’m looking forward to most in retirement — but to be able to walk off the field with them, I can’t think of a better ending.”
It’s often been said ‘two out of three ain’t bad,’ and that can also be said of retirement number three. For Yates and Verlander there were happy tears. For Diaz, his tears left watermarks on the fabric of baseball.
The veteran umpire had been a controversial arbitrator and is one of seven umpires MLB offered buyouts this season.
“There are a lot of people I’m going to miss, and I made a lot of friends, but what I won’t miss is the game,” Diaz stated. “Not one bit. It’s just changed so much. There’s so much more technical stuff. It’s kind of restricted us. I mean, everything is black and white now. You can’t manage the game.
“You used to look at the scoreboard, and you’d see a player’s batting average, home runs, RBI and stolen bases. Now, you look up, there’s all kinds of stats up there, exit velocity, launch angle, on-base-percentage, OPS. You can’t find anything because it’s all a percentage.”
The regular season is over, the playoffs are underway, and much speculation exists as to what will happen during the upcoming MLB owners/players battle over contract talks. While some dispute baseball’s standing as ‘America’s game’, it’s ability to show its’ emotional and human side is truly Americana.
