There are not many baseball pitchers today who can keep up with Justin Verlander because of their talent and the awards they have won. The seven-time MLB All-Star, who played for the Detroit Tigers for 13 seasons before moving to the Houston Astros shortly before the 2017 trading deadline, is, among many other achievements, a world champion in the series, a unanimous winner of the American League Cy Young Award, a two-time MLB winner and a Pitching Triple Crown winner.
The former Old Dominion University baseball player, who broke and set numerous school and division records, has also represented the United States in international competitions. Verlander is known for his four pitching styles: a hard fastball with four seams, a slider, a 12-6 curveball, and a changeup, which brought him great success and cemented his legendary status.
Justin Verlander Biography
On February 20, 1983, Kathy and Richard Verlander welcomed the first of their two sons, Justin Brooks Verlander, to Manakin-Sabot, Virginia. While growing up, Verlander had a very close relationship with his father, who was a great baseball enthusiast. As the story goes, it was his father who encouraged him to play the game after he witnessed his son demonstrate his strong arm by throwing a rock further than he could.
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When Verlander was 9 years old, he started playing baseball at the youth level and was considered the best pitcher in the Richmond area. He attended Goochland High School where he scored 144 strikes in 72 innings with 0.38 ERA in his senior year. Verlander and his family had hoped that a baseball team would come for him at that time, but that was not the case and the boy had no choice but to go to college.
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Justin Verlander had the opportunity to play college baseball on a scholarship to Duke, but he chose to stay close to home and attend Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Here Verlander ensured that his name was firmly established in the school and in the record books of the Colonial Athletic Federation as he became the leading strikeout player of all time in the history of both the school and the league. His achievements then earned him a selection for the United States national team, which won silver at the 2003 Pan American Games.
After three years with Old Dominion, where he was named Male Athlete of the Year by the ODU Alumni Association in his final year, Justin Verlander was awarded the second overall selection in the 2004 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. He then played for two teams in the Detroit Minor League: the Lakeland Flying Tigers and the Erie SeaWolves before making his Major League debut on July 4, 2005.
Justin Verlander Net Worth
The net worth of Justin Verlander is estimated at around $105 million. The pitcher was able to accumulate his enormous fortune through his salary over the years in the majors and through sponsorship contracts.
In 2013 Verlander put a seven-year contract worth $180 million on paper, the largest deal ever awarded to a pitcher at the time. During this time, the six-time Major League Baseball All-Star also signed lucrative sponsorship contracts with companies such as Under Armour, GlaxoSmithKline, Breitling, and Rawlings.
Is He Married? Who Is His Wife or Girlfriend?
Justin Verlander is actually married. The winner of the 2017 Babe Ruth Award married his long-time girlfriend, supermodel, and actress Kate Upton, who has become famous on the cover of a number of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and has also starred in films such as Tower Heist (2011) and The Layover (2017).
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The couple reportedly began dating in early 2014, before getting engaged two years later in 2016. In November 2017, a few days after Verlander celebrated winning the World Series, he and his girlfriend, an actress, exchanged vows at a private ceremony in a medieval church in Tuscany, Italy, in the presence of close family and friends.
Justin Verlander’s Brother
Justin Verlander has a younger brother named Ben, who was born on January 31, 1992, in Maidens, Virginia. Like his older brother, Ben is a professional baseball player. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers to play as an outfielder but was released from the team in June 2017.
Height, Weight, and Other Facts
Birth Name: Justin Brooks Verlander
Date of Birth: February 20, 1983
Place of Birth: Manakin-Sabot, Virginia
Height: 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m)
Weight: 225 pounds (102 kg)
Profession: Athlete (Baseball Player)
Position: Pitcher
Zodiac Sign: Pisces