Justin Verlander appears on ‘Today,’ ‘Good Morning America,’ ‘Fallon’
Justin Verlander hit the TV circuit following his emotional retirement.
Justin Verlander discusses the sacrifices he’s made to finish his career in Detroit
Justin Verlander opens up on missing out on his daughter’s life to continue playing baseball.
Justin Verlander made the television rounds on Sept. 29, starting his day with “Good Morning America” and “Today” and ending with “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
On “GMA,” the retired Tigers ace spoke about his final game on Sept. 26, and the moment when his 7-year-old daughter, Genevieve, ran out on the field to meet him at the pitching mound.
“It hit me hard,” Verlander told host Michael Strahan. “It broke me.”
On NBC’s “Today” show, Verlander was joined by his wife, Kate Upton, who expressed her excitement over Verlander’s retirement.
“I am never watching another baseball game again,” she said. “It was tears of joy for me.”
On the Fallon show, Verlander was shown a picture of his first pitch in the majors, and was asked to compare it to a picture of his last pitch.
“I mean, the first thing I see is about 50 pounds and some gray hair,” Verlander said.
Verlander said during the “Today” interview that he looks forward to spending more time with his family and settling into a different routine.
Prior to his retirement, Verlander, along with wife Upton, donated $100,000 to Michigan Humane for Military, which waives pet adoption fees for veterans and active-duty service members.
agraham@detroitnews.com
