Friday, June 27

SEATTLE -- No one has seen more of Bo Bichette’s at-bats than his mother, Mariana. 

Around the time Bo was 10 years old, his older brother, Dante Bichette Jr., was 15 and making his way around the showcase circuit with their dad, playing in front of MLB scouts who would someday come searching for his little brother. In those days, when a young Bo looked up into the stands, he’d see Mariana. 

That hasn’t changed, even now as Bichette plays in his seventh MLB season at 27. Bichette’s mother is still a constant and important presence in his life, whether that’s closer to home during Spring Training or throughout the regular season. It all started in those early days, though, when Mariana’s influence on Bo began to shape him as a baseball player. 

“I was always very appreciative of her because -- this didn’t happen much -- but if I had a bad weekend playing, she would never get mad at me for not playing well,” Bichette said. “She would literally just ask me, ‘Well, did you practice enough during the week?’ Typically, the answer was 'no,' so that’s where she taught me the most about understanding that the work and the process is all you can control. That’s all we can worry about.”

That’s the origin story of the mindset you still hear from Bichette today. Whether he goes 4-or-4 with 10 RBIs or strikes out every single at-bat, it’s difficult to tell the difference after the game. 

One of the things Bo remembers most from those years is that Mariana always made it a point for Dante Jr. to include Bo. If he was playing with his buddies, he had to bring his little brother along. For most older brothers, that’s a pain, but when your little brother is a future big leaguer, that tends to soften the blow a bit. 

It’s fine if the little brother tags along or plays video games with you … as long as he’s good.

While Bo’s father would work with him on the finer details of his swing or approach, a relationship that continues to this day, Mariana always had an incredible sense for how her son was feeling. Mariana has seen a million of Bo’s at-bats. She knows what it looks like when he’s frustrated, when he’s hot, when he’s an inch away from breaking out. 

Whether it was on a car ride home when he was 10 or on a phone call as a grown man, that’s when Bichette leans on his mother. 

“She normally knows. I’ll seek out her advice sometimes, too, and it can vary,” Bichette said. “It’s anything from me being more aggressive or she’ll tell me, ‘Hey, don’t worry about it, you hit the ball hard today.’ It’s things like that.”

There’s the human side to this, too, which Bo has come to understand better over the years, learning as much from struggles as he has successes. The life of a baseball player looks glamorous from the outside, and in nearly every way, it is. It’s still a life spent uprooted, though, constantly on the road, constantly bouncing around while trying to manage the daily failures that baseball promises you.

“Life can be lonely at times,” Bichette said. “Having a familiar face around in my career has definitely helped me. She knows me as well as anybody as a human, obviously, but even as a baseball player.”

The Bichette brothers will come together on the field again soon, big brother with his little brother tagging along, as Bo and Dante Jr. plan to play for Brazil in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Mariana is Brazilian, so it will be another special moment for that side of the family. Mariana’s father was born in Hong Kong, but moved to Brazil when he was young, where he eventually met Mariana’s mother. It’s the grandparents who were most excited to hear.

“When the news came out, my grandpa texted me how excited he is and that he wants to be there,” Bichette said. “From my point of view, I just hope to bring baseball to the news in Brazil and also help the team qualify for the next WBC. I hope I can help.”

Brazil plays in Pool B next March, up against the United States, Mexico, Italy and Great Britain. It will be a new stage for Bichette with a different jersey on his back, but he knows his mother will be right there supporting him. She always has been. 

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