"She was what I needed...who knows if I'm even here if it wasn't for her?" - When MLB All-Star Justin Verlander credited his wife, Kate Upton, for playing a crucial role in his remarkable MLB comeback

Houston Astros star Justin Verlander once spoke about wife, Kate Upton's, impact in helping him make a late comeback in the MLB.

In an interview with Bleacher Report in 2018, Verlander revealed that he was going through a tough time dealing with injury issues and that Upton was a source of motivation for him to keep going:

"She was instrumental in me not…like, jumping off a bridge. I was depressed and kind of just upset at the world and trying to hide my own shit...She was what I needed...who knows if I'm even here if it wasn't for her?"

Verlander continued:

“She was someone I could talk to. I mean, basically a therapist. Somebody I could trust with … worries about my career. Worries about, can I make it? Worries about what I’m going through to get back. And just the overall shittiness of it all.”

Justin Verlander is having an astonishing season at 39 years with the Astros.

Verlander spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers before switching to the Astros in 2017. However, constant injuries plagued his career, keeping him on the sidelines after a stellar start to his career. He won Rookie of the Year in 2006. He also has nine All-Star selections and two Cy Young awards.

Justin Verlander and Kate Upton missed their wedding because of the World Series

Verlander and his wife-to-be Kate fixed a date for the wedding while the former was still playing for the Tigers. The couple got engaged just before the 2016 MLB season commenced, but Verlander was traded to the Houston Astros a year later.

Verlander and Upton appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" in 2017 and spoke about how things eventually panned out. The veteran pitcher said:

"We were planning this thing saying, you know, if best case scenario we go to the World Series. There's really only one thing that could throw a huge wrench into all of our plans. It's not the World Series, it's going to Game 7 of the World Series."

Fortunately, things worked out for the better as Justin Verlander was key to the Houston Astros winning their first ever World Series. The Astros won the title in seven games against the LA Dodgers in 2017. However, the wedding date had to be postponed as it coincided with the historic World Series.