The upcoming playoff series between the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays will have an interesting element as a pair of brothers face each other in the MLB postseason, however, both can’t be blamed if their minds might be elsewhere with their mother unable to attend the game due to a serious health battle.
The 2023 MLB playoffs kick off tonight and it will feature a major matchup in the American League when powerhouse clubs in the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers clash in the first game of their AL Wild Card series. Both teams were major forces in the league this season and it isn’t all the time that a pair of 90+ win teams go head-to-head in the opening round of the playoffs.
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One of the interesting narratives is that the series will see Josh Lowe and his brother Nathaniel on opposite benches in the most pressurized and high-stakes situation that can happen in professional baseball. The brothers, who were both prospects in the Rays system, link the two teams in a unique way and that was showcased when their mother Wendy was in attendance for their first big league faceoff in June.
Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays stars will compete with heavy hearts on Tuesday night
Unfortunately, the proud mother will sadly not be in attendance for their playoff series this year. On Monday, the brothers revealed that the matriarch of their family will not be at Tropicana Field on Tuesday because she will be undergoing chemotherapy to combat an ongoing battle with brain cancer.
“She’s going through chemo right now, and she won’t be able to make it,” Josh Lowe told members of the media yesterday. “But I asked her if it’s OK if I said something, and she said yes, because the more people that know, the more prayers that can be said for her.”
“Chemo, radiation, and doctor appointments get in the way of her coming to the game,” Nathaniel Lowe told the Dallas Morning News on Monday. “Objectively speaking, that’s what it is. It’s a lot. It’s the only way I know how to say it. It’s just a lot.”
Wendy Lowe’s fight with cancer actually began a month after the family’s memorable moment in June when she suffered a seizure. The scary incident led to tests revealing her current situation with the disease. Her sons eventually were placed on the family medical leave list so they could support their mother when she underwent surgery as part of the early steps to fight the cancer. Both returned to play in the second half of the seasons for their respective clubs.
The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays talents have both been key parts of their teams in 2023. Josh had a career year as he posted a .292 AVG, .335 OBP, and .500 SLG, with 20 HR, 83 RBI, and 32 SBs. His first baseman older brother also had a strong season as he knocked in 82 RBIs and 17 HRs for the Rangers.