Longtime friends Hancock and Gilbert get a kick out of watching their sons bond

SEATTLE -- Their babies aren’t even eight months old yet, but Logan Gilbert and Emerson Hancock truly believe that they’re already becoming fast friends -- just like their dads.

It’s illustrated in their mannerisms toward each other, that they inherently spend quite a bit of time together and that they were born just four days apart.

“It's crazy to think about that,” Hancock said. “It's something that you really hope as you're creating this whole family of like baseball and teammates and everybody. And it's really cool to envision that one day, everyone's kids are hanging out.”

The youngsters are Myles (Hancock’s son) and Henry (Gilbert’s son). And on Sunday, they will both be in attendance at T-Mobile Park to root on their dads, as both of the Mariners starters will celebrate their first Father’s Day.

Seattle’s schedule aligned in a perfect way this weekend, as Hancock started Saturday night’s game against the Red Sox and Gilbert was tabbed for Sunday’s finale. At a position that only plays every fifth day -- or sometimes less frequently, given that the Mariners have six healthy starters -- there’s no guarantee that a starting pitcher would get that opportunity.

“I actually didn't know it lined up until like this week,” Gilbert said. “A couple months ago, we were just trying to make sure that [my wife] Aviles and Henry were going to be here, just because there was different stuff going on. ... But they wanted to make sure they were still here, and now I get to pitch. It's going to be super cool.”

“It's really cool that Logan gets the opportunity to do that,” Hancock added. “I think that'll be special for him, and I think it'll give him a whole different sense of purpose and meaning out there.”

As is the case for anyone becoming a first-time parent, fatherhood has given Gilbert and Hancock a new outlook on life -- away from the game, for sure, but also within it. And each describes it differently.

Gilbert’s meticulous pregame routine now, believe it or not, features Henry, at least for home games. Because T-Mobile Park’s home bullpen runs right against the outfield concourse with a barrier that goes up only about waist-high, Aviles will bring the baby out to watch dad toss his final warmup pitches.

And the interaction is as adorable as it sounds. Aviles props Henry’s feet up on the top of the guardrail, then Logan comes over for hugs and kisses before heading out to the field mound.

It’s here where Gilbert lets down his uber-competitive alter ego, which he was unable to do before this season.

“I used to always be like, 'That's how I am,'” Gilbert said. “And sometimes, I'm maybe too locked in, or just like only focused on one thing, almost thinking if I came out of it, results might suffer -- almost like a superstitious way. And I don't think that's healthy.

“So this year, I feel like it's been really cool being able to be like locked in on my prep and everything, but then I see him right before the game, and I'm Dad again. But then I go switch into compete mode, and it still feels like I have a more authentic self in it.”

Hancock, meanwhile, is in the midst of a career year -- one in which he’s been arguably Seattle’s most consistent starter. He downplays the correlation of his ascent and being a new dad, but does say -- like Gilbert -- that fatherhood has allowed him to put less pressure on himself.

“Yes, you want to be as consistent as a baseball player as possible,” Hancock said. “But I also want to be as consistent as a husband as I can, and consistent as a father. ... Me and [my wife] Haley talk about it all the time, it’s like we're in the golden days of raising a family. But you're also trying to perform and trying to compete at the same time, so it's a learning experience.”

Gilbert and Hancock have known each other for over five years now -- pals well before their debuts, which Gilbert made in 2021 and Hancock in 2023.

“It's weird to see one of your good buddies that you've always known without a kid, and now you both have kids,” Gilbert said. “You just see each other in a different light.”

And as the saying goes, “like father like son” -- Gilbert and Hancock really mean it when they say that their little ones are becoming attached.

“You can tell they like each other,” Gilbert said. “Like, yesterday, Henry was reaching, reaching, trying to just touch Myles. It's cool.”