SAN FRANCISCO (Interstat) — In what was likely the final start of a storied career, Justin Verlander delivered a gritty performance, and the San Francisco Giants edged the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Saturday evening at Oracle Park.

A crowd of 38,201 watched as the 42-year-old Verlander (4-11) battled for six innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking one. The victory was the 266th of his 20-year major league career, tying him with Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 34th place on baseball’s all-time wins list.

The win lifted the Giants to an 80-81 record with one game remaining in the season, while the Rockies fell to a major league-worst 43-118.

The game was a microcosm of both teams’ seasons. The Rockies, who have struggled profoundly, jumped to an early lead with solo home runs in each of the first two innings. Hunter Goodman opened the scoring with his 31st homer of the year in the first inning, and Brenton Doyle followed with his 15th, a shot to left-center field in the second, staking Colorado to a 2-0 advantage.

That lead was short-lived. Verlander’s counterpart, Kyle Freeland (5-17), ran into immediate trouble in the bottom of the second. After walking Matt Chapman and allowing a single to Wilmer Flores, Freeland served up a three-run homer to Casey Schmitt. The second baseman’s 12th home of the season cleared the center field wall, abruptly handing the Giants a 3-2 lead.

From that point, the game evolved into a tense pitchers’ duel. Verlander settled in after the early power displays, working around a triple by Ezequiel Tovar in the fifth inning by inducing an inning-ending strikeout. Freeland matched him pitch-for-pitch after the Schmitt homer, holding the Giants to just three hits over his six innings of work while striking out four.

Both bullpens kept the scoreboard silent through the middle innings. Jimmy Herget struck out two in a perfect seventh for Colorado, while San Francisco’s Tristan Beck and Joel Pagero combined for two scoreless frames.

The deadlock was broken in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs, Andrew Knizner worked a walk from Rockies reliever Gavin Hollowell. After Heliot Ramos struck out, Rafael Devers lined a double into the left-center field gap. The ball caromed off the glove of a pursuing Doyle, allowing Knizner to score the go-ahead run all the way from first base.

Needing a run to extend the game in the top of the ninth, the Rockies immediately put pressure on Giants closer Spencer Bivens. Jordan Beck launched a solo home run to center field, his 16th of the year, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Doyle followed with a double, putting the potential tying run in scoring position with no outs.

Bivens, however, bore down. Yanquiel Fernández grounded out to second, advancing Doyle to third base. After intentionally walking Kyle Karros, Bivens struck out Warming Bernabel swinging for the second out. He then hit Ryan Ritter with a pitch to load the bases, bringing Tovar, the Rockies’ leadoff hitter, to the plate.

The tension culminated with a full count. Tovar lifted a high pop foul down the third base line, where Matt Chapman camped under it and made the game-ending catch in foul territory. Bivens recorded his second save of the season, securing the victory for Verlander and the Giants.

The game, which lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes, saw the Rockies outhit the Giants 7 to 4, but San Francisco capitalized on its opportunities, most notably with Schmitt’s three-run blast and Devers’ clutch double.

The result defied the pregame projections slightly, as Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 3-2 Giants victory, while the total of seven runs fell one short of the over/under line of 8. San Francisco entered as heavy favorites, with their ELO probability to win calculated at 72.9 percent.

The two teams will conclude their 2025 seasons and this three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park.