GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Nathaniel Lowe spoke about his mother, Wendy, proudly and fondly. But at the same time, the sadness was palpable as Lowe's hands wrung nervously together while speaking.
Wendy Lowe, also the mother to Angels outfielder Josh Lowe, died on Wednesday from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. She was only 60 years old.
“A lot of people with her type of cancer are gone a whole lot sooner. So for her to give it 33 months of fight was something pretty special," Lowe said in the Reds' clubhouse on Sunday morning. "But at the end of the day, I’m happy she’s done hurting. I’m glad she can rest. She gave us a great life and she was a great mom. You can’t really ask for a lot more other than that.”
On the same day his mother died in Orlando, Fla., Lowe played in a spring game vs. the Dodgers, and he slugged a booming 444-foot three-run home run.
"It’s weird," he said. "When I lost my grandfather, I knew I was going to hit a home run. I hit a home run. I lost my mom. I knew I was going to hit a home run and hit a home run. So I won’t be surprised that when my brother gets back in the lineup for his first couple of at-bats, he sends one out too.
"It’s just a cool affirmation because she put in so much work for us to get here. So it’s a fun trip around the bases. It’s pretty special, even if it just is Spring Training.”
Nathaniel, 30, and Josh Lowe, 28 both broke into the big leagues with the Rays. But 10 months prior to Josh's debut, Nathaniel had moved on to the Rangers after being traded in the offseason.
In 2023, the Lowe brothers appeared on a Major League field together for the first time as the Rays hosted the Rangers at Tropicana Field. Their proud parents, Wendy and David, were there. At the games when they played against each other, Wendy wore a custom jersey that featured both club's colors.
That same year, Wendy received her cancer diagnosis.
After her death, Nathaniel Lowe opted to remain in Reds camp and not take days off.
“He wanted to stay and I just said, ‘Hey man, I don’t want to be in your business. But if you need anything -- and I mean anything -- you just pop your head in,'" Reds manager Terry Francona said. "We had a nice talk. It was good. He’s quickly becoming somebody that everybody really enjoys being around."
A memorial service will be planned at a later date.
“My Dad will come out here. My brother is in Tempe so they’ll spend some time with us, get out of the house after he collects his thoughts and sees what’s going on," Lowe said. "We’ll have a service for her, I guess, after the season. I felt like I said goodbye to her five or six times, honestly. Again, I’m happy she is done hurting.”
As a non-roster invitee who signed with the Reds on Feb. 14, Lowe is trying to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster. He entered Sunday batting .235 (4-for-17) with a .904 OPS and two home runs.
“I think she would want me to keep going, especially in this position here where nothing is handed to me," Lowe said. "I have to make this opportunity. She did the same thing. Nothing was handed to her. She worked hard and she put us in a great position to be where we’re at now.”