Kate Upton, the wife of Justin Verlander, took her place behind home plate at Yankee Stadium, accompanied by her close friend Amy Cole, the wife of Gerrit Cole. The two women gathered to watch Verlander take on the Bronx Bombers in the opening game of the three-game series between the Yankees and the Astros.
As the Yankees surged ahead to a 4-1 lead against Houston’s Verlander in the bottom of the third inning, Upton was spotted engaged in conversation with her companion, Amy Cole. The video capturing this moment can be viewed here:
Verlander entered Yankee Stadium for his fourth start of the season, boasting a 1-0 record. However, his return to the mound following an absence from spring training and the first three weeks of the 2024 season due to discomfort in his pitching shoulder did not unfold as anticipated.
Despite the presence of his wife, Kate Upton, who cheered him on alongside her close friend Amy Cole, the outing proved to be a catastrophic one for the three-time Cy Young Award-winning ace pitcher.
The Yankees emerged victorious, securing a 10-3 win, while Verlander’s stat line reflected a challenging performance. He surrendered seven earned runs on eight hits and managed only two strikeouts across five innings pitched. Moreover, he fell victim to three home runs launched by Anthony Volpe, Alex Verdugo, and Giancarlo Stanton. This game marked the pitcher’s first defeat of the 2024 campaign, occurring on Tuesday night.
Yankees fans react to Verlander shelling
Verlander’s dominance over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium during his tenure with the Astros had been a consistent theme. In five starts in the Bronx—four in the regular season and one in the postseason—he had never allowed more than four runs, maintaining a stellar 2.86 ERA. Across 12 total starts against the Yankees as an Astro, Verlander boasted an impressive 2.59 ERA. However, on Tuesday night, the Yankees finally managed to turn the tables on their nemesis.
The aura of invincibility surrounding Justin Verlander dissipated in the very first inning of Tuesday night’s game. What ensued was a continuation of Houston’s early-season struggles, as they suffered a resounding 10-3 defeat at the hands of the Yankees, their record falling to 12-23. Verlander surrendered seven earned runs, the most he has ever given up to New York as an Astro, on eight hits, including three home runs.
Alex Verdugo launched a full-count fastball from Verlander an estimated 383 feet to right-center field for a three-run homer in the opening frame. In the fourth inning, Anthony Volpe connected with a fastball up and away, sending it 379 feet to right field for an opposite-field, two-run shot. Giancarlo Stanton punctuated the Yankees’ offensive outburst with a blistering 118.8 mph line drive off Verlander, depositing it into the left-center-field bullpen in the fifth.
Yankees hitters aimed at 53 of Verlander’s pitches, whiffing on just six occasions. The veteran right-hander finished his outing with a mere two strikeouts and three walks over five innings of work.
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