Justin Verlander never wanted to give up the baseball while pitching. On Wednesday, the three-time Cy Young Award winner said he will finally hand the ball off to a new generation.

The two-time World Series champion and 2011 American League MVP announced on Wednesday that he would retire at the end of the 2026 season, ESPN reported.

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Verlander, 43, made the announcement after he was named a Legend Pick to next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. It will be Verlander’s 10th All-Star Game appearance.

While Verlander is 0-2 in his 21st season, he has a career record of 266-159 and has compiled 3,554 strikeouts.

“It just felt like I was plugging holes in a boat,” Verlander said during a news conference on Wednesday. “When you kind of put everything together and consider everything, I’ve been kind of trending toward this decision for quite a while.”

Verlander is currently on the 60-day injured list with hip and hamstring woes, so his appearance at the Midsummer Classic at Citizens Bank Park on July 14 will be cursory, MLB.com reported.

But he, along with Phillies slugger Bryce Harper -- who was also named as a Legend Pick -- are certain to receive cheers, even from the cynical and notoriously tough fans in Philadelphia.

Verlander is the second Tiger to be named a Legend Pick; longtime teammate Miguel Cabrera was selected in 2022, according to MLB.com.

Verlander is currently the oldest player in the majors this season.

He still intends to return, and is scheduled to throw a bullpen before Thursday’s game against the Athletics, ESPN reported.

“I do want to focus on playing the rest of the season,” he said. “I think there will be a time to really sit here and reminisce and focus more on the actual retirement. Right now, my focus is still to get out there and be the best version of myself I can be for this team. We are playing great baseball right now, and things are going well, and we’re trending in the right direction.

“I’m champing at the bit to be part of it.”

Verlander won the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award in in 2006 and followed that with eight consecutive years of at least 200 innings, ESPN reported.

His best season was 2011, when he won his first Cy Young Award and also was named the A.L.’s MVP. The right-hander went 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts.

Verlander was traded to Houston in the middle of the 2017 season, going 5-0 down the stretch to help the Astros win their first World Series crown -- a title that was later tainted by a sign-stealing controversy, ESPN reported.

Verlander won his second Cy Young Award in 2019, when he fashioned a 21-6 record for the Astros, adding a 2.58 ERA and 300 strikeouts.

After sitting out the 2021 season because of Tommy John surgery, Verlander bounced back in 2022, winning his third Cy Young Award and his second World Series ring.

He put together an 18-4 record and led the majors with a 1.75 ERA.

In addition to his regular-season records, Verlander competed in the postseason in 10 of his 21 seasons. He went 17-12 and appeared in five World Series but was not as lucky, going 1-6.

During his retirement announcement on Wednesday, Verlander mentioned his family with a special shoutout to his wife, model Kate Upton, according to USA Today.

“To my family, especially my wife Kate, thank you for standing beside me through every season, every rehab, and every high and low,“ he wrote. ”I couldn’t have done this without you.”

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