# With Justin Verlander, Tigers walk thin line between nostalgia and win right now
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As he readies to make his first start in a Tigers uniform since Aug. 30, 2017, against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field Monday, he isn’t exactly sure what to expect.
His wasn’t an exceptional spring by his standards, not in terms of his workload or performance. It took him longer to get his body moving properly and get his mechanics in sync. The command of his fastball was spotty. The velocity was inching up but probably not as fast as he would’ve liked.
“We will find out,” he said when asked if he felt ready. “I don’t think (being ready) is too far off. It’s not perfect but hopefully it’s good enough to get some outs. You never know. You start the season and sometimes things start clicking. In spring training, you are always working on stuff.
“Then the switch flips and it’s time to get outs. I hope I can get a bunch of them.”
Hinch has been down this road with Verlander before, back when he was winning Cy Young Awards and championships in Houston. It’s a push-and-pull between the volume of work Verlander wants to do and the volume that is prudent for a 43-year-old with almost 3,600 innings on his arm.
“With Justin, he’s so regimented in what he’s done, it’s hard to control volume,” Hinch said. “If it was up to him, he would have six or seven starts in spring to get ready like he did as a 23-year-old. Any curiosity that he has (about his readiness) is probably centered around the small alterations in his program over the last 10 years.”
But that commitment, that obsession with the details of his process is part of what’s made him great.
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Then he was asked what still motivated him at this stage of his career and immediately something flashed in his eyes and the tone of the discussion intensified.
“You want to be successful,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here any longer if I didn’t have that anymore. It’s who I am. I scratch and claw for anything I can think of to make me better. I want to compete. I love pitching.”
He was fired up now.
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“I wouldn’t be here,” he continued. “I wouldn’t have signed. I told AJ (Hinch) and I told Scott (Harris) when I signed here, I don’t want a handout here. I’m not trying to ride off into the sunset and not be successful. I think I still have it. I think I showed that in the second half last year and I want to build on that.”
Age doesn’t define or degenerate character or pedigree. What made Verlander a three-time Cy Young winner, a two-time world champion and the game’s active leader in wins (266) and strikeouts (3,553) didn’t cease once he got through his prime years.
“He’s very appreciative of where he is in this sport,” Hinch said. “But he’s more interested in how he can help the team be better. How can he help us win.”
