Detroit — They’ve both been back here before. Both have come in through the tunnel and made the right turn toward the visitor’s clubhouse instead of the left turn toward the Tigers’ clubhouse.
Never before, though, had they come through as teammates with another organization.
Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are back in Detroit as high-powered, highly-priced leaders of the New York Mets’ potent starting rotation. There are pictures of both, from their days with the Tigers, on the walls both in the walkway underneath the stadium and inside the Tigers’ clubhouse.
“It was one hell of a run,” Verlander said Tuesday. “From the Cinderella story of 2006, year in and year out, the team was a juggernaut, going deep in the playoffs. Mr. I (late owner Mike Ilitch) was doing anything he could to put an unbelievable product on the field. What a time to not only be a player for the Tigers organization, but a fan.
“You said the glory days. It felt like that as a player, too. It was just so fun to be part of it.”
Scherzer, in a separate interview before the game Tuesday, echoed Verlander.
“The five years I was here are arguably the best five years in recent history for the Tigers, and to be a part of that run was awesome,” said Scherzer, who was a Tiger from 2010 through 2014. “We had such great teams, great players. This is where I developed and came into my own here. It was a huge, five years of my career.”
Chapters of life
Verlander said he looks at his life and his career in chapters, separate and individual swaths of his life.
“I don’t look at anything negatively, just appreciate it for what it was and close the chapter and move on to the new one,” he said. “I’m right in the thick of a brand new chapter with the New York Mets. I’m very pleased with my time in Houston, as well.
“That (one in Detroit) was the first chapter of my baseball career, a long one, and it ended and ended peacefully.”
Verlander is scheduled to pitch in the series finale on Thursday. How’s that for a script? He’s been on the injured list since late in spring training (lat strain). His first start for the Mets will be in his old stomping grounds, Comerica Park.
“It’s funny how baseball works,” he said. “Obviously, I wouldn’t like to start the year on the IL at all, but baseball, as always, tends to have some funny stories and connections. So, here I am, my first start as a Met in Detroit.”
Verlander, 40, signed a two-year deal with the Mets worth $86.7 million in the offseason. He is coming off his third Cy Young Award-winning season, incredibly in the year after he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
“It’s inspiring,” said Tigers lefty Matthew Boyd, who is back in the Tigers’ rotation after missing most of last season following flexor tendon surgery. “You see what he did last year (coming back from surgery), he adapted and he dominated. It was one of the best years he ever had and he did it in ways that were different from some of his best years in the past.
“You can have success in different ways. I definitely want to pick his brain about it.”
Boyd and Miguel Cabrera are the only players left who were teammates with Verlander in Detroit.
“He had a huge impact on my career,” Boyd said. “I’m really grateful for him. And to see him having the success he’s having personally, it’s awesome.”
Verlander, who pitched for the Tigers from 2005 into 2017, made just one rehab start before he was activated. He went 4.2 innings and threw 69 pitches. He will probably be pitching with some workload restrictions on Thursday.
“Overall, fairly pleased,” he said when asked about his readiness. “I don’t know if you’ll ever hear me say I’m perfectly pleased. I had one rehab start. It wasn’t like I was in midseason form, but the first box to check is that you’re healthy, and I was able to do that.
“Now hopefully, everything starts to click and I can get dialed in as I get some starts under my belt.”
Ode to Miggy
Scherzer, who is coming back after serving a 10-day suspension for violating the MLB rule on using sticky substances on the mound, is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday. As angry as he was (is) about the suspension, especially because he couldn’t have his appeal heard by a neutral arbitrator, it did give him time to rest his aching back.
“I feel like I got my back in the right spot,” he said. “It was an ailment, not an injury. I threw a lot of BP, a lot of bullpens.”
Scherzer lit up when he was asked about Cabrera.
“He goes out and wins the Triple Crown in 2012,” Scherzer said. “But, what people don’t realize is, in 2013 at the (All-Star) break, he had leveled up again. He was almost the most improved player after winning the Triple Crown. He was hitting like .360 with 30 homers and 100 RBIs — at the break. I’ve never seen someone be the MVP of the league and then level up.”
Scherzer’s memory was pretty good. Cabrera was hitting .365 with 30 homers and 95 RBI at the break in 2013.
“It was crazy to watch somebody be that good, and then just get better,” he said. “I took that to heart, watching that. It does not matter where you’re at in this game, there are no limits. You can always continue to get better and what a perfect example.”
Scherzer has done Cabrera proud. He won back-to-back Cy Young Awards at age 31 and 32 and he’s posted a 62-28 record with a 2.69 ERA with 1,061 strikeouts from age 33 to 38. Impressive.
Twitter: @cmccosky