Justin Verlander retires from baseball and Kate Upton cries tears of joy: 'I never have to watch another game'

Justin Verlander calling time on his baseball career was met with particular enthusiasm at home. Model Kate Upton, wife of the now-former Detroit Tigers ace, jokingly admitted that her husband's retirement after 21 seasons at the highest level brings a personal perk: no more baseball games.

Speaking on the Today show, the 34-year-old model and actress made no secret of her delight when host Savannah Guthrie asked about the 43-year-old pitcher's retirement. "I'm so excited," she revealed with a laugh. "I never have to watch another baseball game. For me, they were tears of joy."

The couple met in 2012 and tied the knot in 2017. They have two children together: Genevieve, born in 2018, and Bellamy, born in 2025.

Upton first featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2011 and graced the cover in 2012, 2013, 2017, as well as in 2024 for the magazine's 60th anniversary. She has also starred in several films, including Tower Heist (2011), The Other Woman (2014), and The Layover (2017).

Verlander's official farewell took place on September 26 during a Tigers game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the sixth inning, the veteran pitcher shared an emotional moment when he was surprised on the field by his daughter Genevieve, who wore a Detroit jersey featuring her father's name and number. Met with a standing ovation from the entire ballpark and visibly moved to tears, Verlander embraced his daughter and was surrounded by teammates before walking off toward the dugout hand-in-hand with her.

The former pitcher explained that his main priority on the field was reassuring his daughter: "I just wanted to make sure she knew I was at peace and so happy she was out there with me. So I whispered in her ear, 'I'm so happy.'"

With his playing days behind him, his focus now shifts entirely to family life. "One of the things I look forward to most after baseball is spending time with them. My family means everything to me, and I'm so happy to have the chance to make up for lost time," concluded Verlander, one of the premier pitchers of the past two decades — a two-time World Series champion, league MVP, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 10-time All-Star.