How Did MLB Star Justin Verlander Meet His SI Model-Turned Wife Kate Upton? Find out Their Adorable Story

Justin Verlander is one of the biggest names in the MLB world and his wife is not as popular as she might be. But here’s how the couple met.

By Blesson Daniel

Published on Aug 27, 2024 | 04:01 AM IST | 171.4K

Justin Verlander and Kate Upton [Credit-Getty]

Kate Upton and Justin Verlander attribute their ideal relationship to baseball—specifically an MLB ad. Upton, 32, and Verlander, 41, met in early 2012 while filming an advertisement for the Major League Baseball 2K12 computer game. Verlander, then a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, stated that he felt Upton was cute and wanted to take his shot.

“I had my microphone on and didn’t realize,” Verlander told Us Weekly. “I told my friends that I was gonna get her number and she heard me.” Fortunately, Verlander hit it out of the park, and he and Upton made their public debuts in January 2013.

Verlander proposed in 2016, and the pair moved to Houston the following year when the right-hander was dealt to the Astros in the middle of the season. Less than three months later, Houston won the World Series, and the couple married in Italy.

“He gets down on one knee and he pops open the ring box,” Upton told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. “In my mind, I was like, ‘Don’t look at the ring. He’s going to think you’re materialistic.’”

Upton and Verlander graced the MLB All-Star Red Carpet beside their daughter Genevieve in July 2021. Verlander told the Houston Chronicle that his kid has begun to recognize him when he plays on television. He also told People in 2019 that he wants to play into his forties so Genevieve may continue to watch him.

“It’s the most amazing experience in my life and to be a dad, I really can’t even put into words how much I love this little girl,” he said. “It goes so quickly; it’s been an amazing experience that I’m not taking for granted. I’m relishing every moment.”

Also Read: Justin Verlander’s Model Wife Kate Upton Reveals What She’ll Never Do to Be in Shape; Discloses Premium Fuel

Upton is also smitten with motherhood, saying, “Being a mom is, and forever will be, my greatest accomplishment.”

Despite their break in mid-2013, they were back together in January 2014, for a romantic holiday in the Bahamas. In July 2018, Upton revealed on Instagram that she was expecting her first child. She posted a selfie of herself standing on the balcony of a hotel room, showing off her little baby bulge in a red pantsuit. "#PregnantInMiami," she captioned the photo.

In August 2018, Verlander spoke openly about some of the tough times in his life and career, stating that Upton rescued him during his darkest moments. “She was instrumental in me, not, like, jumping off a bridge. I was depressed and kind of just upset at the world and trying to hide my own s—t,” he told Bleacher Report, noting his wife got him through his hernia surgery and recovery.”

He continued, “F—k, man, she was what I needed. I don’t like to talk to people about being hurt. As athletes, you’re not supposed to. It’s an excuse. But she was someone I could talk to. I mean, basically a therapist. Somebody I could trust with... worries about my career. Worries about, ‘Can I make it?’ Worries about what I’m going through to get back. And just the overall s—tiness of it all.”