Mark Christopher Lowe (born June 7, 1983) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, Texas Rangers,

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

. His

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

has been clocked as high as 101 mph. He also throws a slider and a

circle changeup In baseball, a circle changeup (also called the okay changeup, related to the thumb and index finger touching) or circle change is a pitch thrown with a grip that includes a circle formation, hence the name circle changeup. The circle is forme ...

College career

Lowe attended the

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the second oldest university in the University of Texas System and was founded in 1895. It was in the Texas A& ...

. He also pitched for the Wisconsin Woodchucks in the 2002 and 2003 summer seasons and was a part of their championship team in 2003.

Professional career

Seattle Mariners

Lowe was drafted by the

in the fifth round of the 2004 MLB Draft and began his career with the

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seatin ...

of the Class-A

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseba ...

. In 22 starts with the

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a town on the outskirts of Appleton in the Fox Cities, and are nam ...

in 2005, he made 22 starts and was 6–6 with a 5.47 ERA. He proceeded to play for the

Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchis ...

and

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...

in 2006.

2006

He made his Major League debut for the

on July 7, 2006, in

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

against the

, loading the bases before

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish television legal drama television series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017, based on ''The Good Wife'' by Robert King (writer), Robert and Michelle King. Prod ...

the side. He opened his career by throwing scoreless innings. He picked up his first win on July 19 against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. Lowe was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

on August 20 with right elbow tendinitis and was later transferred to the 60-day disabled list. He underwent

arthroscopic surgery Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgery, surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted in ...

on his elbow after the season.

2007

Lowe was placed on 60-Day disabled list on April 1 and began a rehabilitation assignment on July 3 with the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

. He also made rehab appearances for the Short Season

and the

West Tenn Diamond Jaxx The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Marin ...

before being activated on July 24, He was 0–0, with a 6.75 ERA in four relief appearances, during his seven rehab appearances in West Tennessee, Everett and Tacoma. He was optioned to Tacoma on August 9 to make room on the roster for John Parrish. He was recalled from Tacoma and placed on 15-day DL on August 28. He was rated by

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

as the Mariners number 8 prospect heading into the 2008 season.

2008–2009

In 2008 Lowe set career-highs in games (57), innings (63.2), and strikeouts (55). Among Mariners relievers, he ranked second in games, third in innings and third in strikeouts. He was 0–2, with a 3.60 ERA at home, the 6th-lowest home ERA by a reliever in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

. He began the season by making 12 scoreless relief appearances in his first 13 games. Lowe recorded a 0.55 ERA by allowing just one run in 16.1 innings from March 31 to June 13. He tossed at least 2 innings in 12 of his 57 appearances. He recorded his first Major League save April 11 against the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

. Lowe was optioned to Tacoma on August 25, but did not make an appearance. He was recalled on September 2.

Texas Rangers

2010

On July 9, 2010, Lowe was traded to the Texas Rangers with

Cliff Lee Clifton Phifer Lee (born August 30, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Between 2002 and 2014 he played for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, S ...

for

Justin Smoak Justin Kyle Smoak (born December 5, 1986) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and San Francisco Giants ...

and prospects

Blake Beavan Blake William Beavan (born January 17, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. A first-round draft pick in the 2007 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers, Beavan was traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2010 in a package of prospects fo ...

Josh Lueke Joshua William Lueke (born December 5, 1984) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tokyo ...

and Matt Lawson. He made his debut for the Rangers on September 29, 2010, against Seattle, coming back from injury to throw a scoreless inning against his former team.

2011

Lowe was included on the Rangers postseason roster for 2011 after posting an ERA of 3.80 in 52 games. He was on the mound when

David Freese David Richard Freese (born April 28, 1983) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009, where, two seasons later, he was a key player during the 2 ...

hit the walk off home run to end Game 6 of the

2011 World Series The 2011 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2011 Major League Baseball season, 2011 season. The 107th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American Le ...

2012

He appeared in 36 games in 2012, with a 3.43 ERA. He became a free agent following the season.

Los Angeles Angels

On February 8, 2013, he signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

that included an invitation to spring training. The Dodgers released him on March 24 and he signed another minor league contract, this time with the

on March 27. He had his contract selected to the major league roster on March 30. He was designated for assignment on May 29, and released on June 6.

Washington Nationals

On June 12, 2013, the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

signed Lowe to a minor league contract and assigned him to the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

of the Triple-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. He was released on September 2.

Tampa Bay Rays

On November 19, 2013, Lowe signed a minor league contract with the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

. He was released on March 26, 2014.

Cleveland Indians

On March 31, 2014, Lowe signed a minor league contract with the

. He was called up to the majors from the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

on May 22. He was designated for assignment on July 8, and assigned outright to Columbus on July 12. Lowe elected free agency on October 12, 2014.

Seattle Mariners (second stint)

On December 18, 2014, the Seattle Mariners signed Lowe to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. He had his contract selected to the major league roster on May 4, 2015. Before he was traded, Lowe had pitched 36 innings in 34 appearances out of the bullpen for the Mariners, with an ERA of 1.00.

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 31, 2015, Lowe was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Rob Rasmussen, Jake Brentz, and Nick Wells. Over the last two months of 2015, Lowe pitched 19 innings of relief for Toronto, compiling a 3.79 ERA. His combined totals for 2015 (with Seattle and Toronto) were: 55 innings, 1–3 record, 13 games finished, and a 1.96 ERA. He became a free agent following the season.

Detroit Tigers

On December 8, 2015, the

signed Lowe to a two-year, $11 million contract. Lowe struggled in his first season with the Tigers, pitching to a 7.11 ERA in innings. He was released on March 26, 2017.

Seattle Mariners (third stint)

On April 1, 2017, Lowe signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox

On July 24, 2017, Lowe was traded to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, along with fellow veteran pitcher Jean Machi, and assigned to the Triple–A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

. He was released on August 21. On January 27, 2018, Lowe signed a minor league contract with the

. However, he was released prior to the start of the season on March 12.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On April 15, 2019, Lowe signed with the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the G ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 14 appearances for the Skeeters, he struggled to an 8.35 ERA with 21 strikeouts over innings pitched. Lowe became a free agent following the season.

Personal life

Lowe played High School Baseball at Fort Bend Baptist Academy in

Sugar Land, Texas Sugar Land (sometimes incorrectly spelled as Sugarland) is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a po ...

. Lowe was diagnosed with

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

in 2008. Although initially he was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic, his diagnosis was changed to Type 1 before the 2009 season. Mark married Stephanie Morgan on December 4, 2010.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Mark 1983 births Living people Baseball players from Houston American expatriate baseball players in Canada Major League Baseball pitchers Seattle Mariners players Texas Rangers players Los Angeles Angels players Cleveland Indians players Toronto Blue Jays players Detroit Tigers players UT Arlington Mavericks baseball players Everett AquaSox players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players Inland Empire 66ers players San Antonio Missions players West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players Tacoma Rainiers players Round Rock Express players Frisco RoughRiders players Syracuse Chiefs players Wisconsin Woodchucks players Columbus Clippers players Sugar Land Skeeters players People with type 1 diabetes