Verlander To Donate Award Money To Veterans
DETROIT (WWJ) - Major League baseball players have named Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander the American League's best pitcher and the most outstanding Major League Player. It's the first of many awards the 24 game winner is expected to receive this off-season. But Verlander is also giving back.
The two awards come with $70,000 in prize money, and Verlander is tossing in another $30,000, for a total of $100,000 to be donated to his "Verlander's Victory for Veterans" charity.
"They come to the games that I start and I donate my suite, and they get to bring their families which I think is really interesting and something different. So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to split it up 50-50 and give 50 to the Detroit VA Hospital and 50 to Ann Arbor," Verlander said.
"This is something that means a lot to me personally. I've got relatives, as do most people in America, that are over in Afghanistan and Iraq," he continued.
Verlander is also considered to be a shoe-in for the Cy Young Award and a top contender for American League MVP.
