"I definitely didn’t see that coming"- Maksim Chmerkovskiy on Kate Upton dating him after Justin Verlander

Former Houston Astros' starting pitcher, Justin Verlander, has had a long and rich career. The current free agent is married to model-actress Kate Upton, having been together for almost a decade now. The couple went public with each other for the first time in 2013 and even though there have been a few ups and downs in their relationship, they have certainly not struck out yet.

Justin Verlander met Kate on the set of a Major League Baseball 2k12 commercial for the video game. The two made their first public appearance together in January 2013, putting to bed all rumors of both of them dating. However, to everyone's surprise, the pair announced their separation in the middle of the year.

Kate then started dating Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who was a professional dancer on the American reality TV show Dancing with the Stars. Fans weren't the only ones who were surprised as Maksim himself was not ready to believe that Kate and him were dating. Both eventually split in December 2013.

“She’s an amazing person. We have an incredible time together and, you know, I definitely didn’t see that coming and I think neither did she”- Maksim had told the US Weekly at the time.

Justin Verlander and Kate Upton haven't looked back since 2014

After a brief spell where they weren't together, Justin Verlander and Kate Upton got back together while in Bahamas. In May 2016, the former Detroit Tigers player and Upton announced their engagement. Kate also showed off her big diamond ring for the first time at a Met Gala event in New York City.

“In a lot of ways, [engaged life] is the same, but now we’re planning our life together,” she had told Us.

Three days after winning the MLB World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017, the couple married in Tuscany, Italy.

“I feel so lucky that I got to marry my best friend!! “Thank you to our family and friends for making this weekend so fun and magical!” - Kate Upton via Twitter, 2017

A year later, the couple welcomed their first child together; a daughter.

“Welcome to the world Genevieve Upton Verlander, you stole my❤️ the first second I met you!!!” -Justin Verlander wrote via Instagram three days after Genevieve was born.

The couple since then have enjoyed some happy times. They have not shyed away from going public about their relationship and have shown appreciation for each other's work.