Two Identical Strangers With the Same Name Left Speechless After Taking a DNA Test

From their height to their hair color, two complete strangers had a whole lot in common - even their names. So, after a few too many coincidences, they decided to take a DNA test to get to the bottom of things...

Seeing Double

With the eight billion people who live on planet Earth, it's likely that more than a few people will look alike or even share a name. However, it's not every day when someone meets their exact doppelganger.

But for Brady Feigl and Brady Feigl, who both share the exact same name, the two would soon realize that they shared more than just a name in common with each other. The two Bradys both played in minor league baseball, where fate would eventually lead them to one another.

Questions on the Horizon

What are the odds that both Brady and Brady played for minor league baseball and happened to look like one another? The two didn't know about one another until 2019 - but as soon as the news broke, their curiosities heightened, and they began to wonder what was really going down.

Both Brady's played for the minor leagues, which in itself raised a few questions. What are the odds that both Bradys', who looked identical to one another and shared a name, played professional baseball? The questions kept on coming and coming, and it was time for some answers.

Brady #1

So let's take a look at both of these Brady Feigls! The older of the two Feigls is 31 years old and is currently signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Before that, he was playing for the San Diego Padres in the minor league phase.

Born in Maryland, Brady began his professional career a year after graduating from college. The young athlete inked a contract with the Atlanta Braves as a free agent and just two years later was traded to the Texas Rangers. The left-handed relief pitcher was traded a few times during his professional career - like his doppelganger.

Brady #2

Now for Brady Feigl, the second. The younger of the two, Brady Gregory Feigl, is a few years younger than his doppelganger, at age 26. The baseball player began his professional athletic career in 2018, right after he attended college in Mississippi.

The right-handed starting pitcher was drafted in 2018 to the Oakland Athletics in the fifth draft round and has played for several teams. The younger Feigl was assigned to Mesa Solar Sox in 2019 and, as of now, is playing for the Las Vegas Aviators - though he is facing some injuries.

Chilling Similarities

Both Feigls grew up leading completely separate lives, but something inside of them called them both to play for the minor leagues. Despite not knowing of each other's existence, the two shared more commonalities than one would think - including their appearances.

As strange as it may be, Brady and Brady look almost identical! Both professional baseball players have similar physical builds, ginger-colored hair, a short and trimmed beard, and both rock the same thick athletic glasses when they're out on the field. But that's not all...

Making Small Connections

As far as physical traits go, the two Bradys shared the same face, basically. It was almost uncanny looking at them both, knowing they didn't know about one another. The Feigls shared the same love for baseball, which was just the icing on the cake for this strange coincidence.

Brady and Brady stood tall at six-foot-four, so clearly, they couldn't be missed on the field. Although the two didn't find out about one another until 2019, what they soon find out would be completely mindblowing for both of them. The story was simply unbelievable.

Back to His Roots

However, both Bradys stated that they had never met anyone else with the same Feigl last name who wasn't related to them in some capacity. So, how was it possible that all of a sudden, so many years later, there was another Feigl out there they didn't know about?

However, it was later revealed that Brady Feigl, who played for the Texas Rangers, once looked into his family history to learn more about his heritage. But this was way before he found out about the second Brady Feigl. So what did he find, and did it explain the mysterious connection?

What Were the Odds?

The older Feigl was curious to find out more about his heritage, but something that didn't pop up right away was his long-last doppelganger! According to Genealogy In Time, last names can "often yield unexpected surprises," specifically those with the same last night who "do not necessarily share a common ancestor."

However, the two had no idea if they were related or not. Genealogy in Time states that there is a higher probability of two people with the same last name being linked if the name is rare or belongs to a specific town. On the other hand, if the name is more common, or the name was changed from another country, it is less common.

Where It All Started

The left-handed relief pitcher, Brady Feigl, decided it was time to dig deep and find answers. So years before he found out about his doppelganger, he decided to take a trip to Ellis Island to learn more about his roots. Talk about dedication to the game...

Although he wasn't sure what he was going to find, he went in with an open mind and came out with some pretty helpful information. The older Brady discovered his ancestors were actually originally from Germany before they arrived in America. But was that true for both Brady's?

Ellis Island

Time for a little history moment! Ellis Island is a small island centered right in New York Harbor, which opened in 1892 as an immigration station for people all around the world to enter the U.S. The historical entry point operated for more than 60 years before it shut in 1954.

Ellis Island was shut down during President Benjamin Harrison's presidency when immigration was on the decline and was eventually used as a detention center. The famous historical landmark is used today as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and as a museum of immigration, which can be visited by ferry.

Keeps Getting Weirder…

Brady Feigl had found more and more about his family's history, and the facts were more than intriguing! However, the older Feigl had no idea his doppelganger existed at the time, so the upcoming events and many coincidences were about to blow everyone's minds.

As an athlete, it's quite common to suffer from an injury at one point or another during a career. So when Brady one and Brady two both experienced an injury, it was no surprise. What was beyond bizarre was that they were both required to undergo the same surgery for elbow strain.

Discoveries at the Doctor

Both Feigls had to complete the exact same surgery to treat their injuries, which is already bizarre in itself. But it gets weirder, folks: Brady and Brady both underwent Tommy John surgery for their elbows and eventually learned something even more thrilling.

The two eventually found out that they both had the surgery done by the same doctor in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although Tommy John surgery is quite popular among MLB players, what are the odds that they both needed the same surgery simultaneously? It was a chilling coincidence, again.

Tommy John

Tommy John surgery is quite common for athletes, specifically baseball pitchers and those athletes who are frequently bending their elbows. The surgery is meant to correct UCL tears that have occurred over time from overuse, as opposed to a one-time injury.

The surgery is meant to be performed only when needed and is not an elective surgery for athletes looking to improve their skills. According to Bleacher Report, one-third of MLB pitchers have actually undergone the operation. So perhaps it was no surprise that both Bradys had to undergo the same surgery.

Hatching a Plan

Word started to travel, and the two Bradys meeting became a must: it simply needed to happen. There were too many similarities between the two for the situation to be ignored. So, the next step naturally required them to meet. But how were they going to go about it?

Their lives were oddly parallel to one another, and their similarities were almost too much to handle. So, one of the Brady's girlfriends had convinced them that it was time to meet each other, as she was also probably pretty interested in seeing her man's lookalike.

Looking Into a Mirror

A lot was riding on the upcoming meet between the strangers. They were probably pretty nervous, especially considering Inside Edition had arranged for them to meet in person in Cedar Rapids. The two baseball pitchers were eager to meet for the first time - after all, they had heard so much about one another.

Inside Edition filmed their meeting for the first time, and boy, was it something! When the reporter asked the younger Brady if he thinks they could be related somehow, he responded, "You know, there are so many similarities, I gotta say somewhere way back down the line." Well, were they really related?

Submitting DNA

Inside Edition filmed the two minor league pitchers meeting for the first time, and immediately we saw the shock and excitement coming from both Feigls. Upon meeting, the athletes discussed both their childhood and careers, questioning if they were, in fact, long-lost relatives... or even siblings.

And so, the Bradys decided to undergo a DNA test that would give them all the answers they could have ever asked for. Not to mention, the public needed some answers. "Are we twins? We're about to find out," revealed both Bradys in the Inside Edition interview.

The Results Are In

They were both given a vile to spit in that would be sent to a lab which would determine their family heritage, and more so if both Brady's shared the same family ancestry. "It will be cool to see where I come from, more than anything," Brady Feigl said.

Inside Edition planned for the two Bradys to meet once more following their DNA results, and emotions were high! The two had no idea what the results could read, but they were excited to find out. The big reveal was near, and the two athletes sat side-by-side, awaiting the long-overdue answers.

30 Million & Counting

DNA testing is a lot more common than one would think! According to Margo Georgiadis, the president and CEO of Ancestry, around 30 million people in the world have taken a DNA test. That's a whole lotta DNA testing going on, so we can only imagine how remarkable the results could be.

Through Ancestry, those who are curious to find more about their family heritage can take an at-home DNA testing kit to get a closer look at their family tree. The test just requires some simple DNA samples. And once it's sent to the lab, the answers just start rolling out - much, like the Feigls' experience...

The Big Reveal

The strangers met up after the long-awaited DNA results were in. The potential family members held their tablets in hands, containing the key to all of their questions. The answers they were looking for had finally arrived - and safe to say, they were nothing short of fascinating.

The pitchers looked closely at the screen and found out that through the research the older Brady did on his family, he had German roots in his blood. But did that also mean that the other Brady had similar or identical results? The athletes hurried on to see what else awaited them.

Long-Lost Twins?

So now that the older Brady confirmed his research to be true, the younger Brady checked his results and found some chilling answers. There were so many possibilities of what could happen next - but of course, the two found out that they had more in common than they could have imagined.

The younger Brady Feigl found out he was, in fact, too 53% German - the exact same percentage amount that the older Feigl saw on his screen. The two laughed in astonishment and couldn't believe what was going on! Anxiously, they checked out the rest of the results.

Different Percentiles

What else could the DNA results possibly say? They found out they were both 53% German, so naturally, they wondered what else the results could indicate. Brady, the right-handed starting pitcher, saw on his screen he was 10% Irish and Scottish. But what would the left-hand starting pitcher's results say?

After hearing that Brady from the Oakland Athletics had 10% Irish and Scottish history, the other Brady saw he just had 2% ancestry from both those countries! Although this ruled out the two being long-lost twins, it did explain their bright red hair and scruffy beards.

The Final Strike

The Bradys realized that although they might not be twins (also considering they had different ages), they could still be very much related in some capacity. But as they continued to read the DNA results, the boys realized they had more dissimilarities than they thought.

As the pair continued examining their results, the Texas Rangers player asked his doppelganger, "Are you Italian at all?" to which he responded he was not. The Rangers pitcher found out he was 4% Italian, and the Oakland Athletics player saw he had no Italian in him whatsoever. Well, what did this mean?

Facing the Facts

So, after all the buzz around the Brady Feigls, it turned out that they were, in fact, not related at all. Despite their shared Germanic roots, the athletes saw no more similarities in their DNA tests - indicating that although they look identical, they are not family.

Even though the strangers looked extremely alike, the DNA tests proved that they were not related whatsoever. As shocking as the news was, it was nothing short of a coincidence. However, the unbelievable story still made its way straight to the headlines...

Breaking News!

Although the DNA testing confirmed they were not identical twins separated at birth or long-lost family members who could have reunited after years apart, people were still absolutely fascinated by their story. So much so that people wanted to know more and see these DNA results themselves!

Since the story broke, the Inside Edition clip explaining the situation and showing audiences the live footage of the athletes finding out their results has received over 18 million views. The athletes were beyond shocked to see the amount of traction their story received.

Media Frenzy

Thanks to the spotlight from Inside Edition, the minor league pitchers had an overwhelming response from the public regarding their story. And people just wanted to know more! Especially those who knew the athletes personally - they were looking to the men for answers!

The Oakland Athletics player told the outlet, "The week that it hit TV, my phone blew up. I felt like I had to put it on airplane mode and put it down for eight hours and then just check it again because all the notifications and stuff coming in," he said. People kept asking him, "how was it like meeting?" or "how's the other one?"

"We’re Always Gonna Be Brady Feigl"

After realizing that they were, in fact, not brothers or related in any capacity, the pair, regardless, went through quite a rollercoaster of ups and downs together. The Bradys formed an unbreakable and unforgettable bond that will likely last a lifetime.

The Texas Ranger Feigl told the outlet, "We're still brothers in a way," to which his counterpart responded with a big smile, "And we're always gonna be Brady Feigl." Regardless of the outcome, the two athletes found great friends in strangers, which made everything worth it.

Where Are They Now?

So, fast forward a few years: let's check in on the pair and see what they are up to following the craziness that ensued just a few years prior. The younger Brady signed a minor league contract with the Las Vegas Aviators and is suffering from a few injuries.

Although he is not a frequent Instagram poster, we can see the athlete is happily dating his girlfriend, who is keeping us up-to-date on all things Brady Fiegl. Well, at least one of them! The two are smiling big in all their pictures together, and we love to see it.

More Updates

The older of the two Bradys married his then-girlfriend in 2020 - and the two are looking beyond happy in love per social media! Fans of the athlete love all the content he posts of him and his beautiful wife, as he hilariously jokes on one of his accounts that "this is slowly becoming a Courtney Feigl fan page."

Although his counterpart did not seem to attend the wedding, we hope the two are still in touch and maybe even get together now and again. The athlete became a free agent shortly after the news broke, but we hope to see the two of them on the field together one day soon.

Not the Only Ones

Although the two athletes turned out not to be twins, they successfully found their doppelgangers. For some people, they have already met theirs, and for others, their counterpart is roaming around somewhere. They could be in the same city or on the other side of the world - but according to Discover Magazine, they're out there.

According to Discover Magazine, with the 8 billion people that walk the earth, there is "a roughly 0.11% chance of any given person having a twin stranger." That's a crazy thought! The magazine estimates that each person has around seven lookalikes - but the person could have lived in the past or will exist in the future.

The Search Continues...

With this in mind, the possibility of bumping into one's doppelganger on the street may be slim, but it is also strangely likely. The Feigls might not have known about each other's existence at first, but after some time and people connecting the dots, they were able to meet.

"Probably everyone has one, at a glance," mathematician David Aldous says. "The fact that you see it happening to other people means you know it'll happen to you. At first glance, I'm sure that happens to everybody." In other words? We'd keep those eyes wide open, everyone…