Just nine days after his final appearance at Comerica Park, Justin Verlander joined legends in FOX studio for postseason coverage. That broadcasting debut caught Freddie Freeman off guard. Freeman found himself talking to Verlander after the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over Atlanta. Now, Verlander’s quick move into broadcasting has created another unexpected chapter between 2 stars who know each other well.

“That was so awesome to watch in that final start. Congratulations on a Hall of Fame career. Miss you, and congrats,” said Freddie Freeman in an emotional interview with Justin Verlander after Tuesday’s Game 3.

Freddie Freeman expected a normal postgame interview after the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over Atlanta. Instead, Justin Verlander appeared on FOX Sports and immediately surprised Freeman.

“Hold on, J,” Freeman said after Justin Verlander introduced himself and before he congratulated Verlander on calling it a day on his Hall of Fame career.

The moment showed how Verlander had moved from retiring to working during October baseball, just like Clayton Kershaw did by moving to NBC after retiring in 2025.

Verlander officially retired after 21 MLB seasons, ending his career with an emotional final start.

He faced the Pirates on September 26, allowing two runs across 5⅓ innings with 6 strikeouts. His daughter Genevieve then ran onto the mound as Verlander prepared to leave the game.

“The arm held out great, but the leg gave out on me,” Verlander explained about his decision.

Now, Verlander has already found a new place around baseball through FOX Sports’ postseason coverage.

He joined Emmy-winning broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt, along with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and David Ortiz for October coverage. The group already had 38 combined All-Star appearances before Verlander added his name to it.

For Freeman, seeing Verlander ask questions about whether he gained more confidence after his base hit against the Braves’ southpaw ace just six weeks ago, followed by his Game 3 shots, made the moment even better.

In Game 3, Freeman went against 10x All-Star Chris Sale, who gave up a two-run homer to Kiké Hernández, allowing LA a 2-0 lead by the fourth inning. In the top of the third, Freeman almost got a two-run home run, but Braves left fielder Mauricio Dubón leaped against the wall while on a full-sprint to rob him of that on a 101.3 mph line drive. But they couldn’t hold him off for long.

Freeman bounced back in the fourth inning, crushing a solo home run to deep right field, pushing the Dodgers to a 3-0 lead.

But that interview carried more weight because Freeman and Verlander have faced each other before.

Freeman is 2-for-7 against Verlander, with 3 RBI, 1 double, and a .286 batting average. Their most memorable meeting came during Spring Training in 2017, when Freeman battled through a 12-pitch at-bat.

Freeman fouled off 8 pitches before ending the battle with a home run, while Verlander called it a “fun kind of back-and-forth.”

But Freeman was not the only player surprised by Verlander’s sudden return to baseball broadcasting.

After the San Diego Padres’ 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, Manny Machado also heard Verlander’s voice from the FOX Sports desk.

“Hey, didn’t you just retire, man?” Machado asked before telling Verlander, “You gotta enjoy it a little bit.”

Verlander could only laugh before admitting, “They said retirement’s supposed to slow down. It’s not.”

JV hasn’t slowed down a bit, and that showed when he almost hurried Freeman’s congratulatory message to “get to work” during the postgame interview.