Philadelphia is perhaps the Metropolis of Brotherly Love more often than not, however St. Petersburg, Fla., would be the Metropolis of Brotherly Lowe for the MLB wild-card sequence.
Baseball followers jersey-watching within the playoffs will discover that there’s a complete lotta Lowe at Tropicana Discipline. The Rays have second baseman Brandon Lowe and outfielder Josh Lowe, whereas the Rangers have first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. These Lowes are going to be bringing the lumber to the sequence, with each groups eyeing possibilities to achieve the ALDS and a matchup with the Orioles.
As is perhaps anticipated amongst three left-handed batters all enjoying baseball, there’s a household connection — between two of them, anyway.
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Here is the Lowe-down on the preferred title at Tropicana Discipline this week.
Are Josh Lowe and Nathaniel Lowe associated?
Josh and Nathaniel Lowe are brothers, born about two and a half years aside to oldsters Wendy and Dave Lowe. They grew up simply outdoors Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia, and are set to satisfy within the wild-card spherical of the MLB playoffs, their third time assembly up this season after the 2 confronted off in two regular-season sequence towards one another.
“I assumed we might actually see them a little bit farther down the street, however both approach, I do know our mother and father are going to be happy with this, two sons enjoying within the postseason,” Josh Lowe stated. “It may be superior.”
Josh Lowe shared that his brother Nathaniel Lowe, who performs for the Texas Rangers, despatched him a textual content upon studying they’d face off within the wild card sequence. 😆 pic.twitter.com/K05vtFzq7D
— Bally Sports activities Solar: Rays (@BallyRays) October 1, 2023
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There was a time when it seemed like the 2 brothers could be enjoying for a similar group within the majors.
Again in 2016, the Rays chosen youthful brother Josh Thirteenth total within the MLB draft, taking him from Pope Excessive in Marietta. Twelve rounds later, Tampa Bay went again for an additional, this time drafting Nathaniel within the Thirteenth spherical out of Mississippi State. Josh told the Tampa Bay Times that was when the teammates started to think about the opportunity of enjoying within the majors collectively.
“I feel it actually hit residence most likely after we each acquired drafted by the Rays. That is when it actually was like, ‘Oh, crap,'” Josh stated, per the Tampa Bay Occasions. “That was the primary time we have been like, we have got an opportunity at doing one thing fairly cool, so let’s examine what occurs.”
Nathaniel Lowe, who’s three years older than his youthful brother, ascended by means of the minors a lot faster, due partly to his expertise enjoying collegiate ball, and he rapidly proved his Thirteenth-round choice was a steal. By 2019, he was thought to be the group’s No. 8 prospect by MLB Pipeline, placing him seven spots forward of his brother.
There was nonetheless some overlap at instances within the minors. Each brothers performed on the Class-A Bowling Inexperienced Scorching Rods for a time frame in 2017 and have been once more on the identical group in 2018 on the Charlotte Stone Crabs in Excessive-A, however Nathaniel was within the majors for the Rays by 2019 and for all of 2020, whereas Josh was nonetheless working by means of the minors.
Alongside the best way, the 2 have had their aggressive spats. The Tampa Bay Occasions reported throughout an intrasquad scrimmage in 2020, Josh robbed his brother of successful with a diving catch within the outfield, and after shouting some trash discuss at his brother, the pair acquired into it.
“I’ve by no means seen him that mad earlier than,” Josh stated. “Everyone there was just about like they knew nothing was going to occur, however they sort of needed to stroll in between us as a result of they knew if both of us stated something we have been going to go at it.”
Nathaniel, for his half, known as that play “extra of a fixation of his creativeness,” earlier than took goal at his brother over the second.
“I’ll let him have it,” Nathaniel stated. “When he will get a Silver (Slugger) trophy, then we will be on the identical degree.”
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The brothers seemed to be nearing an opportunity at enjoying on the identical discipline as one another, with Josh anticipated to start 2021 in Triple-A with an opportunity to make his MLB debut after his breakout 2022 marketing campaign. But it surely wasn’t to be. On Dec. 10, 2020, Nathaniel was traded to the Rangers for Heriberto Hernandez, Osleivis Basabe and Alexander Ovallaes.
Nathaniel went proper into being a starter for the Rangers, slashing .264/.357/.415 with 18 homers in 157 video games in 2021. The subsequent yr, he earned his first Silver Slugger after launching 27 lengthy balls and slashing .302/.358/.492.
Josh debuted with Tampa Bay on Sept. 8, 2021, and largely cut up the 2022 season between Triple-A and the majors, in the end lacking the sequence towards the Rangers and his brother that season after he was despatched again right down to the minors.
The brothers lastly had the prospect to play towards one another in 2023, with Josh enjoying towards Nathaniel and the Rangers on June 10, 2023. Nathaniel went 0-for-3 with two walks and an 8-4 win over Tampa Bay, whereas Josh went 2-for-4 with a double. The sport started with the pair exchanging lineup playing cards at residence plate.
“I had by no means been a part of a home-plate assembly earlier than, in order that was actually, actually cool,” Nathaniel stated, per MLB.com. “Simply one other a part of a very cool weekend for our complete household.”
Within the backside of the fourth, Josh hit a single to achieve first base, and acquired to satisfy up once more together with his brother. In typical youthful brother style, he began making faces at his older sibling.
However Nathaniel acquired his second too, slapping a tough tag on his brother on a pickoff try.
Josh later told “Breaking Bats” it was the toughest he might ever keep in mind getting tagged, and that when he awakened the following morning, he was nonetheless feeling the after results of it.
“I awakened the following morning, I used to be simply sort of like, stretching, getting away from bed and increasing my arm, I used to be like, ‘Man, my tricep hurts. Like what? and I am like oh yeah I acquired completely destroyed by a tag on first base yesterday.’ And that is what we have been laughing about there as a result of he knew when he put that tag down that he acquired me fairly good.”
Is Brandon Lowe associated to Josh and Nathaniel Lowe?
Regardless of sharing the spelling of his final title with the 2 Lowe brothers, Brandon Lowe is just not associated to them. His final title can also be pronounced otherwise than the brothers.
Whereas Josh and Nathaniel Lowe each pronounce their final title as “LOW,” Brandon Lowe’s final title is pronounced “LAU,” rhyming with “NOW.”