When Justin Verlander's revival of diamond dominance was linked with 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal

In the book, Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball's Brightest Minds Created Sports' Biggest Mess by Evan Drellich, Justin Verlander's resurgence on the diamond and its link to the infamous 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal come into stark focus.

The 2017 Houston Astros season stands as a landmark, not only for the team's World Series victory but also for the infamous sign-stealing scandal.

Justin Verlander's arrival in Houston during the latter half of the 2017 season is a noteworthy moment. Acquired from the Detroit Tigers in a high-stakes trade, Verlander's presence injected new life into H-town's pitching rotation.

However, it's impossible to overlook the cloud of controversy that hung over the Astros during their 2017. The team was accused of implementing an elaborate sign-stealing scheme that involved using technology to decode and relay opposing teams' signs to their hitters.

Thus, every aspect of the Astros' success that season, including Verlander's resurgence was questioned.

“It’s cheating, but they fucking engineered their own shit, and it worked incredibly well,” one GM said of the Astros. “I mean like Justin Verlander was on the downside [of his career], he fucking was. Until he went there. And then as players left the Astros is when it started to proliferate around the league.”

An excerpt from the book, "Winning Fixes Everything."

In 2014, Justin Verlander underwent surgery on January 9 to repair a core muscle issue. Consequently, he faced challenges in the initial part of the year.

In 2015, Verlander commenced the season on the disabled list as a result of a triceps strain in his right arm. This injury caused him to sit out several games at the start of the season. He engaged in a rehabilitation assignment with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens on May 31, and eventually, on June 13, he made his comeback to the Tigers' lineup against the Cleveland.

Verlander made an impressive comeback in 2016 and delivered remarkable performances, attaining a 16–9 win-loss record and achieving 254 strikeouts.

On August 31, 2017, Verlander was traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Houston Astros just before the MLB trade deadline and this move was instrumental in the Astros' postseason success that year. He helped the Astros win their first World Series championship against the LA Dodgers four games to three.

Plus, Verlander was also named the ALCS MVP.

Kate Upton's impact on Justin Verlander's switch to the Houston Astros

Kate Upton with Justin Verlander; Kate after Astros won the 2022 World Series (inset).

In August 2017, Kate Upton supported her husband, Justin Verlander's life-changing decision to swap his Detroit Tigers jersey for the iconic Houston Astros colors.

In an exclusive interview with the BUILD series, conducted in November 2017, Justin Verlander fondly recounted the pivotal moment:

“It was just her and I. I’d kind of get all the information. It’s, I don’t know, 11:55 now, and I’m kinda pacing in our apartment and I’m going ‘Trust your instincts. Trust your instincts.”

“I look at Kate, and I go, ‘I don’t know what my instincts are telling me!”

“And then finally, just a little more pacing, and I go finally ‘Screw it, I’m going to Houston!' And she was like ‘Heck yeah we are!' And that was it. Decision made. So we called their GM, said we’ll accept it.”

In November 2017, Kate and Justin exchanged their vows, sealing their love story. The couple's nuptials took place just after the Houston Astros clinched their historic MLB World Series victory.

The following year, the pair welcomed a beautiful baby girl into their family.