Justin Verlander took the mound for the last time Saturday and allowed two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work while striking out six. It was just the veteran right-hander’s second start of the entire season. His daughter Genevieve took him out of the game in a show that, if I’m honest, seemed a bit much. There were tears, if you like that kind of thing, and he walked off the mound toward retirement. Genevieve Verlander runs to hug her father, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander, as catcher Dillon Dingler looks on during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 26, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/José Juárez) The Tigers recovered in the ninth and ended up winning the game with a two-run home run off the bat of Eduardo Valencia. The victory erased what would have been one more loss on Verlander’s record. THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW: UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGIZED AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD YOUR DAILY PODCAST NOW! Even with the longer-than-normal mound visit, in an era with a focus on pace of play and an unauthorized person on the field participating in it, it felt like something was missing. Justin Verlander and Kate Upton walk the carpet during the MLB Red Carpet Show at Nationals Park in Washington, DC (Alex Trautwig/MLB) Sure, Verlander was making his last start, but his wife Kate Upton was also retiring after more than a decade of memorable moments in the Major Leagues as the girlfriend and wife of a future Hall of Famer. JUSTIN VERLANDER’S RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT COMES WITH A WELL-EARNED TIP FOR SWIMSUIT LEGEND KATE UPTON On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated Swim stepped up and gave the Verlanders a fitting send-off with a look back at the model’s 2024 cover shoot. “In honor of Justin Verlander’s retirement this past weekend, a look back at @kateupton’s 2024 cover shoot,” SI Swimit wrote on Instagram. Now we can respectfully call it a career for Justin Verlander. You can’t tell the whole story. how cool he was not to mention his bikini model wife. That has already been done. After all, she was there through many ups and downs. OUTKICK IS NOW ON THE FOX APP – CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 19: Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros and his wife Kate Upton pose for a photo with their daughter during the All-Star Red Carpet Show at LA Live on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) (MLB Photos via Getty Images) Now he rides off into the sunset at age 43 with World Series rings, Cy Young awards, a ton of career earnings and a 34-year-old Kate Upton, who still has her fastball. Not a bad way to retire after building a legendary career. Sean Joseph is a writer for OutKick.
