Wednesday's playoff game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers is also a battle of brothers.
Josh and Nathaniel Lowe were both in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series at Tropicana Field. Nathaniel already started at first base for the Rangers in Game 1, but Josh's start in right field on Wednesday was his first of the series.
The Lowes are just the seventh pair of brothers to go head-to-head in a playoff series in MLB history – minimum one game played each – according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs.
The last brothers to face off in the postseason were Aaron and Austin Nola in the 2022 NLCS. That broke a 25-year streak without any family affairs in the playoffs, since it hadn't happened since Roberto Alomar and Sandy Alomar Jr. played each other in the 1996 ALDS and 1997 ALCS.
The 28-year-old Nathaniel started his MLB career with the Rays in 2019, but he was dealt to the Rangers ahead of the 2021 season. That same year, Josh made his big league debut with Tampa Bay.
Nathaniel Lowe missed just one game for the Rangers all year, batting .262 with 17 home runs, 38 doubles, 82 RBI, a .775 OPS and a 2.6 WAR in the regular season. Josh Lowe, meanwhile, hit .292 with 20 home runs, 33 doubles, 83 RBI, 32 stolen bases, an .835 OPS and a 3.7 WAR.
Wendy Lowe, Josh and Nathaniel's mother, was unable to make the trip to St. Petersburg for the series between her sons due to her ongoing battle with brain cancer. She started undergoing chemotherapy and radiation in September.
The Lowes' father and grandmother will be with Wendy as she goes through treatment, meaning they will also be absent from the AL Wild Card Series.
Texas won Game 1 by a score of 4-0, putting Tampa Bay on the brink of elimination. The Rangers currently hold a 5-0 lead in the sixth inning of Game 2.
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