DETROIT — Moments after the Tigers honored Justin Verlander for an incredible career that included a dozen years in Motown, Jackson Jobe finished his comeback season with another outing that suggests he has a chance to be the Tigers’ next frontline starter.
“It was awesome. He’s an absolute legend,” Jobe said of Verlander. “The whole thing was sick, so it’s going to be really fun to watch him tomorrow.”
Verlander likely had the same fun watching Jobe, who struck out eight Pirates over 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball, leading the Tigers to an 8-7 win Friday night at Comerica Park.
Among the many video clips played in the pregame tribute honoring Verlander were glimpses of the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year, young and clean-shaven. Verlander was a phenom, but he had a veteran mentor then in 41-year-old Kenny Rogers, signed the previous offseason from Texas. When Verlander returned in February on a one-year deal, he became the mentor for a group of young pitchers that included Jobe, then still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and Troy Melton.
Unlike Rogers, Verlander has had to do most of his mentoring from the dugout, shelved by hip inflammation and later a left hamstring strain. But he still tried to be a source of advice, staying around the team for most of the season and accompanying the team on the road.
“I wish some of these guys would’ve gotten to see the routine and being healthy and what it takes to go out there and pitch and kind of the intent behind it, the neurotic way of which I try to keep myself at a level to be successful,” Verlander said Friday. “Seeing it sometimes is different than me talking about it, just seeing that talent doesn’t get you but so far and work ethic is second to none … like, ‘What do I need to be great?’ Figuring that out and navigating that as a young man and trying to hone your craft.
“You find it and you ride that as long as you can. And I promise that’ll change if you want to have the career that you’re going to want to have.”
Jobe isn’t quite in the rookie role, but close, having missed just over a year to Tommy John surgery following an elbow injury in his first season as a Tigers starter. His stretch run has helped make up for lost time. After an up-and-down August that reflected the struggles of finding consistency after elbow surgery, Jobe was dominant in September, allowing eight runs on 14 hits with 32 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings.
“It feels really good, to be honest,” Jobe said. “I feel like it’s starting to finally come together. [Catcher Dillon Dingler] has done a great job of calling the right game and reading guys’ swings, figuring out what works in each situation. It’s definitely been a process, but truly encouraging to go into next year with having some success the last few starts.”
Jobe rebounded from a two-run second inning, preventing further damage by striking out Jake Mangum. Jobe froze Konnor Griffin on a 98 mph fastball leading off the third inning, then flipped another curveball on Bryan Reynolds two batters later.
Jobe induced 14 whiffs on 34 swings across 86 pitches. He threw just seven curveballs, but three of them finished off strikeouts, two on Reynolds. His slider continues to regain some of its old spin as he gets back in form.
“I talk about pitching with him,” Verlander said. “We’ll see. I think it’s one of those things: As a kid, you receive advice sometimes, and you don’t even know if you really receive it until later on. You look back and [go], ‘Man, that was good advice.’ Maybe not in the moment, so time will tell.”
