Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander had a very special fan at his World Series playoff game: his 11-month-old daughter, Genevieve!
Kate Upton shared an adorable picture to Instagram of her daughter cheering on her dad during the Astros game against the New York Yankees.
Genevieve showed off her full support for Verlander, 36, wearing a personalized jean jacket that featured her father’s name, uniform number and the Astros logo.
“Go Daddy! We are ready for #Game4 !!! #goastros @justinverlander,” Upton, 27, captioned the sweet photo of her daughter getting ready to watch the game from the Yankee Stadium stands.
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While Genevieve didn’t get to see the Astros win game 4 — the Yankees finished 4-1 — Verlander pitched his team to victory during game 3 on Thursday, beating the Yankees 4-1.
Earlier this year, Verlander expressed the happiness he now feels as a new father and that he hopes Genevieve can continue to grow up watching him play baseball.
“It’s the most amazing experience in my life and to be a dad, I really can’t even put into words how much I love this little girl,” the pitcher told PEOPLE in March. “It goes so quickly, it’s been an amazing experience that I’m not taking for granted. I’m relishing every moment.”
Much like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Verlander shared that he hopes to continue playing his sport into his mid-forties.
“I think throughout my time in the game I’ve learned a lot about how I can regimen my body to be in the best shape possible. I connect with Tom Brady on that mentality of wanting to play until I’m 45,” Verlander said. “I think we play two very different sports so my workout regimen is different than his, but the same mentality, right? Take care of your body the best you can to perform at what you need to perform at. Then just go about that business and find the best way to be at the top of my game.”
While his passion for the game is one of the main reasons why he would like to pitch for many more years to come, Verlander said he also would simply like his daughter to have memories of him playing.
“I would like to be able to play long enough that my daughter can see me and remember me playing baseball when she grows older,” he added. “Maybe if anything, it’s going to push me to stay in shape and stay healthy, and be a good pitcher as long as I possibly can. I want her to be able to remember me.”
However, that doesn’t mean Verlander expects his daughter to follow in his footsteps.
“She can be her own woman,” he said. “I’m not going to be putting any pressure on her. She can do what she wants and I’m excited to see. She’s got her whole life ahead of her. I can’t even picture what. … We can all sit here and speculate, it’s fun. She’s got big hands so maybe she’ll play the piano, I don’t know! Possibilities are endless.”
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