Kate Upton Declares She's Done Watching Baseball After Justin Verlander's Retirement
The model humorously stated she will not watch another game following her husband's 21-year MLB career.
Kate Upton has humorously declared that she is "never watching another baseball game again" following her husband Justin Verlander's retirement from his 21-year Major League Baseball career.
Upton made the candid remark on the "Today" show on Wednesday, sitting alongside Verlander. When asked by co-anchor Savannah Guthrie about her feelings regarding his retirement, the 34-year-old model responded with a laugh, "I’m so excited. I’m never watching another baseball game again."
Verlander, 43, concluded his storied career with an emotional send-off at Comerica Park. His final game was on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which the Detroit Tigers won 4-3.
Prior to his last start, Verlander shared a heartwarming moment when his 7-year-old daughter, Genevieve, threw the ceremonial first pitch. She delivered a strike before embracing her father. Verlander recounted to reporters that they had practiced together on the mound, with Genevieve eager to follow in his footsteps.
Another poignant scene unfolded in the sixth inning when Verlander was removed from the game. He became visibly emotional as Genevieve, wearing his Tigers jersey, rushed to the field to hug him after his final MLB pitch. Verlander presented his daughter with the game ball and bid farewell to his teammates before walking off the field hand-in-hand with Genevieve, met by a standing ovation.
Upton, who was present with their 1-year-old son, Bellamy, also shared in the emotional farewell, with the family embracing before leaving the dugout.
Verlander's final season saw him finish with a 7.00 ERA, giving up five hits and two runs with six strikeouts in his last outing. Throughout his career, he amassed 266 wins, ranking 36th all-time, and 3,560 strikeouts, the eighth-most in MLB history.
Reflecting on his career, Verlander expressed a desire to play as long as possible, noting he had skipped a month of rehabilitation to participate in his final games. He stated his intention to pitch as long as feasible, without a predetermined pitch count for his final performances.
Verlander and Upton's relationship began in 2013 after meeting during the filming of a commercial for "Major League Baseball 2K12." They became a couple in 2014 and married in 2017 in Tuscany, Italy, shortly after Verlander won the World Series with the Houston Astros.