Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander has been married to model Kate Upton since November 4, 2017. They have two children, including a daughter named Genevieve Upton Verlander.

He is the son of Richard and Kathy Verlander. His brother is Ben Verlander.

Verlander played college baseball at Old Dominion University, where he became the school's all-time strikeout leader with 427. Old Dominion retired his No. 35 jersey in 2010, and he was inducted into the Old Dominion Hall of Fame in 2012. The Detroit Tigers selected him second overall in the 2004 MLB draft.

He made his major-league debut with Detroit in 2005 and became the American League Rookie of the Year in 2006. During his rookie season, he won 17 games, the most by a Tigers rookie pitcher since Mark Fidrych won 19 in 1976. He threw his first career no-hitter in 2007 against the Milwaukee Brewers, the first no-hitter in Comerica Park history.

Verlander pitched alongside Max Scherzer on the Tigers from 2010 to 2014. He developed into one of Detroit's leading starters, recording multiple seasons with at least 200 innings and 200 strikeouts.

Verlander's 2011 season was the most decorated campaign of his career. He led the American League with 24 wins, a 2.40 earned-run average and 250 strikeouts, then won the AL Cy Young Award unanimously and was selected as the league's Most Valuable Player.

He became only the second player in major-league history to win Rookie of the Year, the Cy Young Award and the MVP Award, joining Don Newcombe. Verlander also threw his second career no-hitter in 2011, against the Toronto Blue Jays, and set a Tigers record with a 12-game winning streak in starts.

The Tigers traded Verlander to the Houston Astros on August 31, 2017. He helped Houston win its first World Series championship that year and was named American League Championship Series MVP after going 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA in two ALCS starts.

Verlander won his second Cy Young Award with Houston in 2019. That season, he threw his third career no-hitter, struck out 300 batters and reached 3,000 career strikeouts. He became the sixth pitcher in major-league history to record at least three career no-hitters.

After missing most of the previous two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander returned in 2022 to win his third Cy Young Award and the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award. He led the majors with a 1.75 ERA and helped the Astros win another World Series, earning his first World Series victory in Game 5.

Verlander reached 250 career wins with the New York Mets in 2023 before returning to the Astros in a trade later that season. He made his 500th career start in August 2023 and earned his ninth career Division Series win, the most in Major League Baseball postseason history.

In 2024, injuries limited his season, including right shoulder inflammation and neck discomfort. He joined the San Francisco Giants in 2025 and recorded his 3,500th career strikeout, becoming the 10th member of that group. He signed with the Detroit Tigers again in 2026, returning to the organization that selected him in the draft.