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Justin Verlander found himself in the hot seat after using his wife Kate UptonZoom account at a recent press conference.
During virtual press event on Monday, January 13, the NBC Sports reporter named Taylor Wirth had a hot mic that included Verlander, 41 — but MLB players didn’t mind.
As San Francisco Giants president of operations Buster Posey was talking to reporters, Wirth accidentally interrupted him and said, “Look at Justin’s name!”
Wirth didn’t seem to know he was being muted when he pointed out that Verlander’s nickname, Zoom, was his wife’s name.
After the Giants’ vice president of media relations Matt Chisholm reminded reporters to keep quiet unless they asked, Verlander was joking about his own accident.
“I’ll change it, okay? I’ll change it,” Verlander joked, referring to his Zoom name.
The pitcher made good on his promise and changed his nickname to “JUSTIN VERLANDER (not Kate)” for the rest of the press conference.
Justin Verlander
Courtesy of MLB/XWirth, meanwhile, poked fun at his hot mic mistake by reposting a clip from Zoom through X. He then shared a meme of a college student pointing at himself while holding a beer, confirming that he was the one who called out Verlander.
Verlander met Upton, 32, in 2012 while filming a commercial Major League Baseball 2K12 video game. They left public with their romance in January 2013. After a brief split later that year, they got back together in January 2014.
Justin Verlander
Steph Chambers/Getty ImagesAfter the former Houston Astros pitcher won the 2017 World Series with his team, he and Upton headed to Italy to get married.
The couple celebrated their one year anniversary in November 2018 days before welcoming their daughterGenevieve. The following year, Verlander reflected on the past decade and all the changes in his life.
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“It’s been such an incredible decade! Meeting my best friend, getting married and starting a family was the most amazing gift ever!!! Nothing beats that,” he said he wrote via Instagram in December 2019. “On the field… to win a championship, throw down some hits and win some awards has been an incredible journey. Friendships that have grown or started in the last decade will continue for decades. Truly blessed 🙏🏻🙏🏻. Now bring on another decade!!”
From entry to 2020 Verlander’s baseball career has changed more than once. He parted ways with the Astros in December 2022 after six years with the ball club. That same month, he confirmed that he was joining New York Mets for the 2023 season, but was back with the Astros in August of that year.
Earlier this month, Verlander entered another new phase of his MLB career as a pitcher for the Giants. He signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the team on January 11.
