grew up in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, with his parents, Richard and Kathy Verlander and a younger brother, Ben Verlander. His life experiences and the story of his development are outlined in his parents' 2012 book, Rocks Across the Pond: Lessons Learned, Stories Told. His younger brother, Ben, played for the Tigers organization as an outfielder. Ben was released on June 23, 2017, and now works as a sportswriter and analyst. Verlander started dating model-actress Kate Upton in early 2014, and in 2016 the couple got engaged. In the 2014 iCloud leaks of celebrity photos, many of Verlander's personal pictures including nude pictures of both himself and Upton, as well as other women, were leaked online. On November 4, 2017, two days after he won the World Series with the Astros, the two married in a medieval church in Tuscany, Italy, overlooking the Montalcino valley. On July 14, 2018, they announced that Upton was pregnant with their first child, and the couple had a daughter later that year. Awards and accolades 2x World Series champion (2017, 2022) American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player (ALCS MVP) (2017) American League Most Valuable Player (AL MVP) (2011) 3x Cy Young Award (2011—unanimous choice, 2019, 2022) 5× American League Pitcher of the Month (May 2009, June 2011, September 2012, July 2016, May 2018) 9× American League Player of the Week (May 22–28, 2006; June 11–17, 2007; May 2–8, 2011; June 13–19, 2011; September 12–18, 2011; September 24–30, 2012; April 9–15, 2018; September 10–16, 2018; August 26 – September 1, 2019) American League Rookie of the Month (May 2006) American League Rookie of the Year (2006) Babe Ruth Award (2017) Detroit Sports Media Association Detroit Tigers Rookie of the Year Award (2006) 3× Houston Astros Pitcher of the Year (2018, 2019, 2022) 9× Major League Baseball All-Star (2007, 2009–2013, 2018, 2019, 2022) 3× Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Pitcher (2011, 2019, 2022) Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Rookie (2006) Players Choice Award for Player of the Year (2011) Players Choice Award for AL Comeback Player of the Year (2022) 3× Tiger of the Year-BBWAA-Detroit Chapter (2009, 2011, 2016) Triple Crown (2011) 7th in 2006 American League Cy Young Award voting (the highest of any rookie pitcher) 5th in 2007 American League Cy Young Award voting 15th in 2006 American League MVP voting (the highest of any rookie and second highest of any pitcher –