As the Angels’ Josh Lowe whiffed through a 54.2 mph pitch from Cincinnati catcher P.J. Higgins -- who made his first career appearance as a pitcher in mop-up duty in a 10-2 Angels win -- he couldn’t help but laugh.
Neither could Josh’s brother Nathaniel, playing first base for the Reds, as he watched his younger brother swing through one of the slowest pitches he’ll ever see in the Majors. As Josh was smiling and walking back to the dugout after his strikeout, the camera quickly switched to Nathaniel, who was trying his best to not smirk.
Earlier in the game, Josh was also smiling, but for a very different reason, when he crushed a solo home run in a multi-hit game, snapping him out of a 3-for-33 skid.
Friday brought all sorts of emotions for the Lowe brothers, who had a family reunion of sorts before the game. It marked the first time that the two were facing off in a regular-season game since their mother, Wendy, passed away in March at the age of 60 from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Before Friday, the Lowe brothers and family had shared many memorable moments on an MLB field. In June 2023, the two brothers faced off against each other on a big league field for the first time -- Nathaniel for the eventual World Series-winning Rangers and Josh for the Rays.