Justin Verlanders 7 Tips for a Successful Marriage

Justin Verlander obviously knows what he’s doing on a baseball diamond. And he also proved he’s got game off the field when he started dating model Kate Upton in 2014. Married since October 2017 — they tied the knot two days after he won the World Series with the Astros — Verlander is opening up to AskMen about another thing he excels at: making his high-profile marriage work.

RELATED: Justin Verlander: This Is What My Workouts With Kate Are Like

Though the  36-year-old is sharing his thoughts on what makes a union work, he is humble about it. “I don’t have a lot of perspective on this. This is my only marriage,” he admits. “I wouldn’t have it any other way; this is my only experience. I’m happy with marrying my best friend and I consider myself very blessed to have found my soul mate.”

While there are plenty of things most people can’t relate to when it comes to Upton and Verlander’s relationship (fame, money, genetic lottery),  settling down with someone you consider your BFF probably is.

1. Understand Each Other’s Passions

For most regular people, passions don’t run this deep, but for Upton and Verlander, their passion for their respective work is fierce. “I don’t think there’s any secret; I think it takes effort on both sides. Stepping into the relationship I think we both understood each other very well, I think we both understood our passion,” explains the Houston Astros star. “She understands my passion for baseball and I understand her passion for modeling and acting. So I think from that perspective, it allows us to understand if somebody has to do something and leave for a period of time.”

2. Set Boundaries

For Verlander, setting boundaries in the marriage is key, and for him and Upton, that means limiting how much time they spend away from each other. It’s no easy feat with his baseball schedule and her modeling and acting commitments.

“We desperately try to set some boundaries,” admits the pitcher, who partnered with Flonase for a second time ahead of Spring Training 2019. “We try as hard as possible to not go more than two weeks without seeing each other.”

3. Stay Connected

Two weeks apart is a lot no matter how you look at it, so the couple makes sure to stay in touch each day. “We try to hop on the phone as much as possible; sometimes our schedules make it almost impossible,” he says. “There’s just a level of understanding there that we really love one another and go as far as we can to try to stay connected, but if the schedule just so happens that we couldn’t talk as much as we wanted that given day, then so be it.”

This understanding of their crazy schedules and often times conflicting time zones ties right back to his first tip: understanding their passions.

4. Drop a Romantic Text

When Verlander doesn’t get to chat with his wife on the phone, he wants to make sure she knows how important she is to him. “I’ll text her and just let her know how much I love her and we’ll talk tomorrow,” he reveals.

RELATED: How to Be a Better Husband

5. Get That QT In

Because the athlete and model do have to spend time apart due to work, it’s even more important to relish their time together. “When we’re together, we thoroughly enjoy spending time with one another, whether it’s a date night or just kind of chilling on the sofa together,” says Verlander, who welcomed daughter Genevieve with Upton in November. “We are each other’s best friend, so it’s fun to hang out with one another, and we want to be together.”

6. Trust Is Key

It would be understandable for trust to be a challenge in a relationship between a model and an athlete. Pro ballers have made headlines for their wandering eyes (see Tristan Thompson, Tiger Woods, and Kobe Bryant, for example) and there are plenty of guys lining up to be with a stunner like Kate Upton. However, the baseball MVP  shakes all of this off. “We have a strong relationship and I trust her and she trusts me,” Verlander insists. “I can’t affect other people. I can only affect myself, and my wife can only affect herself, and we focus on our relationship.”

7. Don’t Lose Yourselves in Your Kids

As new parents, Upton and Verlander are busy. As much as they adore their baby girl, they also understand the importance of keeping their relationship a priority.

“Our world now revolves around this new little person, Genevieve, and it’s fantastic, it’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever done,” Verlander gushes. “But at the same time we don’t want to lose ourselves and lose our friendship, so we balance our time. Obviously a newborn requires a lot of attention and we give her all of that. It’s been this amazing ride, but at the same time, when we can, when we get time for ourselves, we like to spend it with ourselves. We like to go [to] dinner or just hang out, her and I, or whatever it is, so that we maintain this balance of keeping our friendship and love for each other going.”

Based on these seven all-star tips, it sounds like Verlander knows how to hit a home run when it comes to keeping his marriage healthy and happy. So take the MLB star’s lead for a happy, healthy relationship.

You Might Also Dig:

How to Be a Better Dad This May Be the True Key to a Happy Marriage How to Propose to Her http://bit.ly/2WrfIpH April 4, 2019 at 07:39AM Cara E. Sprunk, DMT.NEWS