Trey Mancini: Orioles’ Hot Hitter Returns After Crushing Cancer

Following a particularly engrossing opening weekend to Major League Baseball’s 2021 season, in which rookie catcher Yermin Mercedes captivated us all with his sizzling 8-for-8 start with the bat, there remained one truly inspiring moment. Diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at the age of 27 last March, Baltimore Orioles’ Trey Mancini marked his return to the sport with a soft single up the third base line that just about eluded the outstretched arm of Boston Red Sox’ Rafael Devers. The Orioles would take Game 1 by a 3-0 scoreline, but that would be of less significance, less concern as the baseball family watched on as one of their own had completed an extraordinary comeback.

As the Orioles checked in for Spring Training last year ahead of what was to be a season of cancellations and uncertainty as the coronavirus pandemic worsened, a routine physical revealed something shocking. Mancini was diagnosed with cancer. In that split second, his perception of the world changed entirely as had his own life after being notified of having one of the most terrifying illnesses. In a year which for many has flashed before our very eyes, others have had far greater suffering to endure. Only six days after his diagnosis, the tumour was successfully removed as Mancini embarked on his first round of chemotherapy in mid-April. Optimism was a constant focus for the Orioles’ first baseman who never yielded, never had a sliver of doubt about making a swift return.

"And I have no doubt that, even when I'm doing chemo, I can work out and do some things. So, whenever the time comes for me to come back to baseball, I'll be ready.”

Ready indeed, as Mancini and his Orioles alike have sprung out from the darkness with an emphatic roar. A series sweep of the Red Sox in their very own backyard of Fenway Park means they are one of the unbeaten three in the Majors, whilst Mancini had his pick of the games last evening, driving in two of the eleven runs put up by Baltimore. For a franchise who have had an abundance of on-field struggles, failing to finish above fourth position in the AL East division since 2016, it would be fair to say that this opening weekend was one of the more memorable in recent history and, with all that has occurred, you can’t help feel a smidgen elated, unless perhaps your legion lies with Boston, whose own woes only deepened further.

One of the few shining lights from a near decade of mediocrity for the Orioles, the now 29 year old broke out in elegant fashion during the 2019 season, his last in the Majors. A slash line of .291/.364/.535 included 35 homers and 97 RBIs in 154 games which, by anyone’s standard, is rather good. The Orioles have struggled for a power hitter since the golden days of Chris Davis which, with those years firmly tucked away in the distant horizon, highlights their reliance on a hitter as effective and as powerful as Mancini. For a franchise who have spent much of the recent past in rebuild mode, this roster, which adopts a blend of youth and experience, needs to be centred around Mancini if they are to progress further. It is far too early to decipher the current pool of players after a single series but, if it tells us anything, it is that they appear far more eager for what remains this year.

For Mancini, his remarkable return was met with a salute from both sets of supporters on opening night at Fenway. It demonstrates the power that sport can hold, and that it does not all have to be about rivalries and competitiveness. It is a beautiful sight, and it is what joins us fans as we unite against all forms of oppression in life. Now, Mancini vows to assist others who have, are and could still suffer from this horrible disease, after he recently announced a partnership with Squatty Potty whose ‘Give a Cr*p Challenge’ invites people to send in their stool to have it checked for any cancer markers. He, too, offered to pay for a colonoscopy for someone from his home town of Winter Haven as they were unable to afford the treatment. Awareness for cancer must never falter as we strive for its eradication, as not everyone is as fortunate as Mancini was and he, undoubtedly, realises that more than most.

Seeing Mancini step out onto the field was a rare moment of jubilation, optimism, in an otherwise dark and wretched year. Baltimore’s big-hitter’s inspiring return to the Charm City is not purely momentous for their faithful supporters, but for all those facing dark times ahead that anything is truly possible.