Mancini moved by fans’ ovations in homecoming
Returning star gets ‘goosebumps’ in first home game since ’19
Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini’s warm reception from fans in both of their returns to Camden Yards since 2019 matched the sun-splashed day that served as the backdrop to Thursday’s home opener.
Both during the pregame ceremony and before his first at-bat, which was a fielder’s choice on a ground ball to third base, Mancini earned lengthy ovations from Orioles fans who congratulated him on his journey back from stage 3 colon cancer last year.
The cheers from the quarter-capacity crowd of 10,150 sounded like a full stadium to him, and were likely anticipated by both he and the fans in the stands since that diagnosis last spring.
Still, it took Mancini by surprise — and nearly moved him to tears.
“I think when I came out on the mini orange carpet we had, I know it wasn’t the normal one, I wasn’t expecting a prolonged ovation then,” said Mancini, whose family was in attendance Thursday. “I thought it was going to be more when I was hitting. I definitely had to fight back some tears there when I got the first ovation. That’s probably what will stick with me the most.”
The day, despite a 7-3 Orioles loss to the Boston Red Sox, more than lived up to what Mancini envisioned his first time back at Camden Yards to be like through his cancer battle and recovery.
“It was nothing short of what I expected,” he said. “We have the best fans in baseball here and no matter what, they love us, and that showed today and meant the world to me . ... I have goosebumps thinking about it still.”
It wasn’t the first time, either. He got a full ovation before his first at-bat of spring training in Sarasota, Florida, and has been warmly received by opponents over the Orioles’ first two series of the season in Boston and New York.
Coming back to the fans in Baltimore, who Mancini said he grew more connected to through his battle with cancer, was another level.
They felt the same way towards him, and he tipped his cap several times both before the game and ahead of his first at-bat to recognize their cheers.
“That was a really emotional start to the home season there,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought the ovation was awesome, and I know Trey really appreciated it. It was cool to be on the line out there with him when everybody was cheering for him and tipping his hat — so well deserved . ... Incredible by our fans, how loud they got and the ovation they gave Trey. It was an awesome start to the day.”
Before the game, Hyde said the celebration of Mancini’s recovery would be a “real special moment,” one the team’s everyday first baseman is trying to balance with getting his form back at the plate.
“I think Trey is putting a ton of pressure on himself so far, and I think that he’s been dealing with a lot, talking a lot about it,” Hyde said. “I think he just really wants to go play. I know he’s going to really enjoy this moment. He’s going to have his family here. It’s a big deal for him to play in front of the home fans again. I just want him to relax and play, really, and enjoy being in the big leagues again.”
Mancini had a walk and a hit on Opening Day April 2 in Boston and had a two-hit day with a pair of RBIs in the Orioles’ 11-3 win Sunday. But he had one hit in nine at-bats against the Yankees in New York, and entered Thursday with 10 strikeouts in 24 at-bats.
He singled in his final at-bat Thursday, but acknowledged after the game that he’s been at the plate without a plan and needs to find a better way to prove he’s back to his old self.
“From the Yankees series through today, it’s actually probably been four of the most challenging games I’ve ever gone through in my career,” Mancini said. “Personally, I think you guys all know me — I expect a lot out of myself and I think I’ve been going out there with a lot of pressure on my shoulders and trying to perform too much and prove that I’m the same guy. And I know I am. But I don’t think I’ve gone about these last four games the right way.”
Hyde ejected for arguing hit-by-pitch
Hyde, like the rest of his club, waited a long time to be back in front of fans at Camden Yards the way they were in Thursday’s home opener.
He just didn’t get a chance to enjoy it the way everyone else did.
Hyde was ejected in the fourth inning after third baseman Rio Ruiz was hit on the elbow by a pitch from Boston Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez but wasn’t granted first base after third base umpire Scott Barry ruled that Ruiz did not check his swing.
After that ruling, with Ruiz getting attention from head athletic trainer Brian Ebel, Hyde came out to object and removed his hat and mask to argue with the umpires.
Home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak made the ejection, which was Hyde’s fifth of his career.
“I thought Rio checked his swing, the ball hit him, and then his body kind of because of the hit-by-pitch kind of took him over the plate like a swing,” Hyde said. “I saw Jeremie ask Scott, I saw Scott say a swing, so one, I went out for the player — I went out first because Rio was hurt to make sure he was OK and while I’m walking out there Scott said that he swung. I was just asking Scott, ‘How do you see that as a swing?’ According to Jeremie, I asked one too many times.”
Hyde said it was the quickest ejection of his life, and first baseman Mancini said he’d never seen Hyde so worked up in their two-plus years together.
“That was awesome,” Mancini said. “He came out there firing. We love Hyder. Whenever you have a manager back you up like that in that situation, it means a lot to the guys. It always fires you up when something like that happens.”
“I definitely had to fight back some tears there when I got the first ovation. That’s probably what will stick with me the most.”
— Trey Mancini, on the standing ovations he received on Thursday