Mother of big league Lowe brothers sees them face each other for 1st time since her cancer diagnosis

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — There is a Lowe family reunion this weekend in Texas, where the mother of big league brothers Nathaniel and Josh is getting to watch her sons play against each other for the first time since being diagnosed with brain cancer last year.

Wendy Lowe was unable to attend at Tampa Bay last October when Nathaniel Lowe and the Texas Rangers played against younger brother Josh and the Rays in an AL Wild Card playoff series. She was going through chemotherapy and other medical appointments at the time.

The family was able to be together when the teams met for a series in Florida the first week of this season, but neither brother played then because both were on the injured list with oblique strains.

“It's been awesome to see her perseverance through everything, to continue fighting every single day,” Josh Lowe said before the series opener Friday. “I definitely think one of the main reasons she does it is because of my brother and I.”

Josh said he and his brother had their parents, their maternal grandmother, some cousins and other extended family in Texas for the series that opened Friday night with a 3-0 win by the World Series champion Rangers. They all planned to get together after Saturday's game at the the new house Nathaniel moved into during the offseason.

“They knew they were coming here, especially because of the fact that we didn't play the first time,” Josh said. “Everybody made a decision to come here and spend some time together.”

The Lowe brothers began their pro careers together in the Tampa Bay minor league system. Nathaniel, who turns 29 on Sunday, was traded to Texas in December 2020, so they first shared a major league field in that series last season.

Their parents attended that series in Florida in June of last season. Wendy wore a custom, split baseball jersey — one half a white Rays uniform, the other in Rangers blue, with “Lowe” written across the back.

In the series opener Friday night, Nathaniel had an RBI single in the third inning that put Texas up 3-0. After striking out his first two at-bats as the Rays' designated hitter, 26-year-old Josh singled in the sixth inning and then was being held on by his brother at first base.

On the shelf in Josh's locker in the visiting clubhouse before the series were two bobbleheads commemorating the Gold Glove Nathaniel won last season. The bobbleheads were giveaways at a Rangers game on Tuesday night, when he hit two home runs.

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