At home plate before first pitch Saturday, there stood Robert and Albert Suárez. The brothers had swapped lineup cards and then posed for a picture, capturing this moment 30-plus years in the making.

Between them, they have pitched in Venezuela, Japan, Korea, Mexico and throughout the minor league system of the United States — their baseball careers taking them from Tokyo to Bowling Green, Kentucky.

But on Saturday the brothers stood in uniform — one Orioles, one Padres — and smiled. They’ve made it. After bouncing around for much of their careers, they stood as Major League Baseball brothers, in opposing uniforms but with a deep appreciation of the determination and sacrifice it took to make this level possible again, with both in their 30s.

“We both know every step. Every step I made, he knows. Every step he makes, I know,” said Albert Suárez, the 34-year-old Orioles pitcher. “It brings happiness to us. We know how much work we put in. When we see success, it’s not like we feel surprised. We’ve been working for it.”

On Sunday, they could pitch in the same game. Albert will start for the Orioles against the Padres, and should San Diego hold a narrow lead by the ninth inning, Robert will take the mound to close the game.

This series is the first time Albert and Robert have faced off against each other in America. They did so before in Japan, where they each played three seasons.

Robert received his break in 2022 when he joined the Padres, although it wasn’t until this season that he established himself as a force at the back end of games. The 33-year-old right-hander holds a 1.51 ERA with 23 saves.

Albert had pitched in the majors before, throwing 115 2/3 innings for the San Francisco Giants in 2016 and 2017 before heading abroad. He earned an opportunity with the Orioles after signing as a minor league free agent last year. Once he rehabbed from a calf injury that cost him a place on a South Korean baseball roster, Albert soon found himself in the rotation in Baltimore.

“I think it’s just a great example of the perseverance and the hard work that we were willing to put into each other’s careers, just to make it to this level,” Robert said through a team interpreter. “And the fact we were able to be successful makes us very proud in the work we had to do to stick in the majors.”

Albert and Robert talk multiple times a week on the phone, and they congratulate each other for every save or start they complete. They don’t view this series as a head-to-head matchup of brothers. They have different roles — Albert starts, Robert finishes.

Albert joked that he told his teammates that, if they don’t want to see his brother, all they have to do is hold a lead.

They’ve had this series circled on the calendar for months. Albert said their mother is in Baltimore for the game; so are his wife and kids. Robert’s wife is here, too, and the family has cousins in town as well.

They’ve dreamed of this, after all. And they’ll never forget it.

“During the season, you don’t get to spend too much time with family, like family reunion,” Albert said. “But this type of thing happens, and this will be in our memories forever.”