Kate Upton Cried ‘Tears of Joy’ Following Husband Justin Verlander’s MLB Retirement for This Hilarious Reason

Charna FlamWed, September 30, 2026 at 3:06 AM UTC

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Kate Upton, Genevieve Upton Verlander, Justin Verlander and Bellamy Verlander at Comerica Park on September 25, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty -

Kate Upton joked on the Tuesday, Sept. 29 episode of Today show that she is excited to stop watching baseball after her husband, Justin Verlander, retired from MLB after 21 seasons

“It was tears of joy for me,” the model cheekily said

Upton and Verlander first met in 2012 and tied the knot on Nov. 4, 2017

Kate Upton is celebrating her husband Justin Verlander’s retirement for one unexpected reason: no more baseball games.

The 43-year-old MLB legend and the model appeared on the Today showon Tuesday, Sept. 29, where they discussed the Detroit Tigers pitcher’s retirement after 21 seasons in Major League Baseball.

After co-anchor Savannah Guthrie asked Upton about how she’s feeling about Verlander’s retirement, she candidly replied, “I’m so excited.”

“I am never watching another baseball game again,” Upton chuckled before adding, “It was tears of joy for me.”

Upton, 34, and Verlander first met in 2012 and tied the knot on Nov. 4, 2017. They welcomed their daughter, Genevieve, in November 2018, and a son, Bellamy Brooks, in June 2025.

Justin Verlander and daughter Genevieve Upton Verlander on September 26, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MichiganCredit: Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty

Upton’s cheeky comments follow Verlander’s final game on Sept. 26, as the Tigers took on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Genevieve surprised him on the mound in an emotional moment during the sixth inning, wearing a Tigers jersey with her dad’s name and number.

The father-daughter pair embraced as Verlander started to cry. The crowd quickly rose to their feet for a standing ovation. His Tigers teammates then surrounded him, hugging him before he left the mound holding Genevieve’s hand.

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He opened up about the moment on Good Morning America on Tuesday, saying that the milestone hit him “hard.”

“There was so much emotion all weekend,” Verlander told GMA co-anchor Michael Strahan. “Obviously, your life as you know it is coming to an end, and I feel like I ran my race and gave everything I had to the game.”

While Genevieve was on the mound with him, Verlander said he was focused on reassuring her.

“I just wanted to make sure she knew that I was in a good place and I’m so happy she was out there with me,” he said. “So I whispered in her ear, ‘I’m just so happy.’ ”

Genevieve Upton Verlander, Justin Verlander, Kate Upton on June 21, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MichiganCredit: Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty

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But having his family there next to him was easily the highlight. “One of the things I’m looking most forward to after baseball is spending the time with them,” he said.

“My family means the world to me,” Verlander said. “And I’m just so happy that I get the opportunity to make up for lost time.”

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”