Justin Verlander reveals Kate Upton had the final say on his key 2017 trade

Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander revealed his then-fiancee Kate Upton made final decision on pivotal trade. (Reuters)

Baseball star Justin Verlander may not have been traded to the Houston Astros last summer if it wasn’t for his then-fiancée Kate Upton.

Verlander told FanRag Sports on Thursday that Upton gave him the green light to waive his no-trade clause in the final minutes of the 2017 MLB trade deadline. The trade sent Verlander from the Detroit Tigers to the Astros.

The all-star pitcher said he and Upton went back and forth on the idea and if she wasn’t totally onboard with the idea of him playing in Houston, he would have stayed in Detroit.

Kate Upton reacts after game seven of the 2017 ALCS playoff baseball series between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. (Reuters)

"When I said 'let's do it,' she was right there, and she said, 'Hell yeah, Let's go,'" Verlander said. "If she was like 'eh, I'm not sure,' that would have changed history.”

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Verlander said he spoke to Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel, Astros owner Jim Crane, family and friends before he consulted with Upton.

The trade ultimately changed the course of the Astros’ season.

Verlander won all five of his starts with the Astros in 2017 and made two pivotal starts against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Houston eventually went on to win the World Series and Verlander and Upton got married days after.

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Verlander recently opened up to Fox News about their marriage. He said he can’t recall "the exact moment" he knew Upton was the one, but he told us their connection was obvious.

“The attraction was many of the similarities we share together, and that became evident the more we were with one another,” he said.

The two started off as close friends, he said.

“Honestly, the relationship just blossomed over the years. We were friends for a long time and then we finally decided — let’s give this a shot.”

Fox News' Morgan Evans contributed to this report.