SEATTLE — In a Mariners season filled with excitement, memories and milestones, a family from Kent will forever cherish the bond they formed with bullpen coach Tony Arnerich, who like their son was born with a lifelong heart condition.

Brek Mettra and Landon Sawatzky were invited to bring their son Cove to T-Mobile Park in June after the couple discovered Arnerich's story on social media.

Cove was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), which means his left ventricle didn't completely develop.

Arnerich was born with a narrowing of the aorta, the artery that carries blood from the heart to the body.

He's had two open-heart surgeries, one of which led to a life-threatening infection in 2012.

"It didn't look good for a while but I was able to luckily get through it and come o

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