Justin Verlander's 2017 wedding and championship parade dilemma: "Hey guys, I’m sorry I’m going to miss the parade I have to go get married"
A wedding is probably the only event that justifies missing out on a World Series Championship parade, and Justin Verlander can surely vouch for that!
Verlander famously missed the Astros championship parade in 2018 to get hitched with illustrious Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton in Tuscany, Italy. He might have been gone, but he for sure was not forgotten! Astros shortstop Alex Bregman said “nobody blamed him” for his absence, and they were super happy for him.
“We missed him on the parade, but if I were him I would have done the same thing,” Bregman, 23, told Us. “They had this date picked out and he was like ‘Hey guys, I’m sorry I’m going to miss the parade, I have to go get married.'”
Fellow Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel even had a very thoughtful wedding gift for the newlywed pair.
"There's one member of our team not with us today; he hasn't really done much," Keuchel said jokingly. "I want to give a little shout-out and let you guys know what Justin Verlander means to this team."
Keuchel then proceeded to film the masses celebrating and cheering Verlander's name.
Dallas Keuchel at #Astros Championship Rally: "Houston, what the hell took us so long to win a World Series." Gives shout out to Justin Verlander. https://t.co/v52CAn5jLX
"Dallas Keuchel at #Astros Championship Rally: "Houston, what the hell took us so long to win a World Series." Gives shout out to Justin Verlander." - Mark Berman, Twitter
Many Astros fans have lambasted Verlander for not showing up, but the general sentiment around the issue is that the wedding was planned long before he even joined the Astros. The couple announced their engagement at the 2016 Met Gala where Upton was photographed wearing a $1 million engagement ring.
Verlander has been an integral part of the Astros since signing for them from the Detroit Tigers seconds before the 2017 trade deadline and was instrumental in their march to the playoffs.
Justin Verlander and Kate Upton absolutely love parenthood
Justin Verlander and Kate Upton welcomed their first child, daughter Genevieve, in November 2018, and life has just not been the same, only better.
"Family time at @palmbeachzoo!" - Kate Upton, Instagram
Upton described Verlander as "the best dad" to their daughter on the "Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in April 2021 where she also spoke about how rewarding motherhood is.
Verlander’s life too has changed drastically since the arrival of his baby girl. In an interview during spring training in 2019, Verlander had this to say about his daughter.
“Having a baby definitely changes the afternoons a little bit. But I get pretty excited to go home and see her smiling. It seems like every day it’s something new, so it’s been a lot of fun.”
"My favorite part of the day." - Justin Verlander, Instagram
Kate and her daughter are regulars at Verlander’s games and their unconditional love for one another is almost always on display.
Family goals, if that's even a thing!