Justin Verlander is back in the World Series, and that means we got to see another great set of snaps of him and Kate Upton celebrating on the field together.
If you’ve been paying attention to any national sports media this week you’re aware that Notre Dame football has taken over the city of New York. Appearances by Notre Dame head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and a handful of players on ESPN, NFL Network, and other outlets has been pretty regular the last few days.
To cap off the week Marcus Freeman threw out the first pitch at Friday night’s New York Mets game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pitching for the Mets was future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander who is married to supermodel and former Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition cover-girl Kate Upton.
As it turns out, the likes of [autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Alt[/autotag], [autotag]Blake Fisher[/autotag], [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag], and [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] were able to meet Upton during the game. Check it out below.
Kate Upton and Justin Verlander had a a lot of fun celebrating another World Series title.
The Houston Astros won their second World Series title in six years with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 on Saturday night that had all of Houston partying late into the early morning.
After the victory Kate Upton had some sweet things to say about her husband, Astros ace Justin Verlander, about watching him pitch and also about how good of a father he is to their daughter. It was all a lot of fun for the 39-year old pitcher, his wife, and all of his teammates and coaches.
Here are nine photos for Verlander and Upton, who got married in 2017, celebrating the Astros World Series title.
The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1, Saturday night in Game 6 to win the World Series in front of their home crowd and set off a party in the their stadium and in their city that is probably still going on.
Kate Upton and her husband, Astros ace Justin Verlander, had a special moment after the game when the Fox Sports postgame show asked her if she’d want to see her husband, who is 39 years old, retire now that he has won his second World Series title.
Upton had a sweet message for Verlander, who seemed to like it even though it appeared to make him blush a little bit.
Kate Upton asked if she wants Justin Verlander to retire “I love watching my husband do what he loves” pic.twitter.com/9wvZU4IchN
It was just five years ago that Kate Upton posted an Instagram photo of her walking to watch the Houston Astros play in the 2017 ALDS. She was wearing a custom Justin Verlander jacket, one that any Astros fan would have wanted to buy to root on Upton’s then-fiance, now husband.
Fast-forward to Sunday night. The Astros clinched the ALCS against the New York Yankee and a World Series berth to face the Philadelphia Phillies.
And the jacket Upton wore this time? SO COOL.
It was an Astros throwback with Verlander’s name and number on the back, and so many fans wanted to buy it:
If superstars like NFL receiver Larry Fitzgerald and MLB pitcher Justin Verlander can love the LPGA, why can’t you?
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – At the end of Friday’s round, Larry Fitzgerald and Justin Verlander posed for a picture with Inbee Park. Then Kate Upton, Verlander’s supermodel wife, stepped in to get her own photo with Park.
There are three household names listed in the above paragraph. Park, the LPGA Hall of Famer, is not one of them.
That’s the beauty of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. That’s the potential of this event, bringing an all-world player like Park more attention in the U.S. sports landscape.
The LPGA should tape a commercial with Fitzgerald, who recently resigned with the Arizona Cardinals for a 17th season in the NFL. Fitzgerald said he watches more LPGA coverage than the PGA Tour and admires their swings, attention to detail and accuracy.
On Friday at Tranquilo Golf Club, Fitzgerald spent five hours at the Inbee Park School of Golf and he soaked up every second of it. Park shares the lead at the midway point with Canada’s sweetheart, Brooke Henderson.
“It was just phenomenal how she’s able to stay completely focused on every single shot,” said Fitzgerald. “From her pace of play in terms of her walk, to how methodical she is in everything she does. It was a real clinic to be able to watch her out there perform in 20 mph wind.”
Inbee Park and supermodel Kate Upton at the 2020 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. (Beth Ann Nichols/ Golfweek)
Park, a seven-time major winner who won the gold medal in the 2016 Olympics, had to Google Fitzgerald and Verlander after the tee times came out. She was stunned not only by their talent on the golf course, but Fitzgerald’s women’s golf knowledge too. He asked Park if she got the first-place check after Lydia Ko won the 2012 Canadian Women’s Open as an amateur. He remembered that Park finished second that week.
Verlander, pitcher for the Houston Astros, wasn’t interested in talking to the media about baseball, for obvious reasons. General manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were fired by the Astros and suspended one season by Major League Baseball after failing to prevent a sign-stealing scheme during the organization’s 2017 World Series-winning season. But he did comment on Park’s ability to stay out of trouble and called LPGA players “incredible athletes.”
“Today was a lot of fun,” said Verlander. “She’s got a new fan in me, and I’ll be rooting for her for a long time to come.”
There’s a Hall of Famer on top of the board in the celebrity division in former MLB pitcher John Smoltz. Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux are here too, along with Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. NFL Hall of Famers include Marcus Allen, Richard Dent and Brian Urlacher, who was chatting down the first fairway with Nelly Korda.
Diamond Resorts CEO Mike Flaskey put the pairings together for the second round and was rightfully pleased with his work in the 9:20 a.m. group.
“I knew that (Inbee) was the player of the decade,” said Flaskey. “I feel like you have two sure-fire Hall of Famers in Larry in the NFL and Justin with baseball. I thought it was a perfect pairing.”
Fitzgerald isn’t the only athlete in the field who had contract news this week. Josh Donaldson reportedly agreed to a four-year, $92 million deal with the Minnesota Twins.
Park ranks fourth on the LPGA’s career money list with $15,356,126. The 31-year-old joined the LPGA in 2007 and spent 106 weeks at No. 1 in the world.
The exposure that these high-profile athletes bring to the LPGA could, in time, raise the tour’s value in the U.S. More people watched the final round of the Diamond Resorts event last year on NBC than the U.S. Women’s Open on Fox. It was the most-watched season-opening event on the LPGA in 10 years.
Verlander, Upton and Fitzgerald have a combined Twitter following of 6.3 million. Upton has 6.2 million alone on Instagram.
In many ways, it still feels like the LPGA is one of sports’ best-kept secrets. With a little love, these folks can help change that.
“I’ve played with guys who hit it 330, 340,” said Fitzgerald, “but the way Inbee was able to take the par 5s apart, be spot on with her wedges. Just didn’t miss a fairway all day. That’s real talent.”
