Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer returning for Mets in Detroit - ESPN

DETROIT — New York Mets star pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are returning to the mound, perhaps fittingly in Detroit against a team they helped have its last run of success.

«It's funny how baseball works,» Verlander said Tuesday, surrounded by Detroit and New York-area reporters at Comerica Park.

The 40-year-old Verlander is scheduled to make his Mets debut on Thursday against the Tigers, who drafted the right-hander No. 2 overall in 2004 and traded him to Houston in 2017.

Verlander's season-opening start was delayed due to a back injury.

«Obviously, I wouldn't like to start the year on the IL at all,» he said. «But as baseball always tends to have some funny stories and connections, here I am, my first start as a Met in Detroit.»

The 38-year-old Scherzer (2-1, 3.72 ERA) is due to pitch Wednesday for the first time since April 19, when he was ejected for violating MLB's foreign substance policy.

The series-opening game Tuesday night was postponed due to rain and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday.

Scherzer, who pitched for the Tigers from 2010 to 2014 before signing with Washington, is returning from a 10-game suspension. He initially challenged the punishment before dropping an appeal, per the team's wishes.

The right-hander claimed the stickiness was caused by rosin and sweat, not by a foreign substance, but declined to say what changes he would make moving forward.

«I'm not going to go into the process because if you have a process, that's cheating,» Scherzer said.

Scherzer was just the third pitcher suspended since baseball's crackdown on sticky substances started in June 2021.

The Mets, who are in the highly competitive NL East, are happy to have the three-time Cy Young winners in