We’re still adjusting to the thought of there being no Trey Mancini in Baltimore.
The remarkable slugger was dealt to the Houston Astros Aug. 1, marking the end of a storied tenure in Baltimore that began late in the 2016 season. Mancini never played in a playoff game or All-Star Game for the Orioles, yet he became a beloved, iconic figure in this city.
This month, we celebrate his unforgettable stint in an Orioles uniform with “The 15 Trey Mancini Moments.”
1. Sept. 20, 2016: MLB Debut And First Career Home Run
With the Orioles in the thick of a playoff race, Mancini continued to work out after the minor league season ended. An injury to Steve Pearce provided a path to the roster, and Mancini made the most of his first appearance. In just his second career at-bat, Mancini smacked his first of 113 career homers as an Oriole. His mother Beth, a lifelong Orioles fan from Bowie, Md., celebrated from the Camden Yards stands.
2. Sept. 22 and 24, 2016: Second Career Home Run In Second Start … And Third In Third
With a three-run third-inning bomb off of David Price, Mancini became just the 20th player in MLB history to hit a home run in each of his first two starts. And two nights later he tagged Robbie Ray, then with the Diamondbacks, to become just the third player in history to hit a home run in each of his first three starts.
3. April 12, 2017: First Career Multi-Homer Game As Power Parade Continues
Not only were his first two career homers against the Red Sox, Mancini’s first career two-homer game came against Boston as well. Later in the month, Mancini hit his eighth career home run, matching Trevor Story and Carlos Delgado for the most homers through the first 17 games of a career.
4. June 7, 2017: The Best Game Of Mancini’s Career
If you’ve forgotten, it’s worth watching again. The O’s trailed the Pirates, 6-4, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth before Mancini forced extra innings with a dramatic game-tying home run. Two innings later he added a walk-off three-run bomb, again with two outs. It was just the second time in Orioles history a player hit a game-tying home run in the ninth (or later) and a game-winning home run.
5. Aug. 17, 2017: And He Can Defend, Too!
While Mancini would most fairly be described as a “positionless bat,” it’s not as if he never made a remarkable defensive play at first base or in the outfield. On this particular West Coast trip, The Baltimore Sun noted Mancini starting to put things together defensively. “In Wednesday’s loss to the Seattle Mariners, Mancini made three impressive plays on defense. Consider it Mancini’s outfield highlight film: He made a running catch down the line, dove into the gap to snag a tailing line drive, and also doubled up a runner off first with a pinpoint throw.”
6. Sept. 14, 2019: Some Late Heroics Against The Tigers
The Twitter account @OriolesMuse_ compiled a list of Mancini’s most impactful plays, sheerly based on the win probability added for the O’s on the play. This was the most impactful. It was an eighth-inning three-run bomb that gave the Orioles the lead. That home run changed the team’s win probability by 51.6 percentage points.
7. Sept. 25, 2019: Five Hits Against The Blue Jays
Mancini had three singles and two doubles on this night, establishing a career high with those five hits in an 11-4 win in Toronto. I would say it was unbelievable that Mancini could have had five hits and just one RBI on the day, but if you watched the 2019 Orioles, you know just how believable that is.
8. Nov. 12, 2020: He’s Coming Back!
After missing the pandemic-shortened 2020 season due to his battle with colorectal cancer, this was a very important day. Mancini told reporters on a call that he had been medically cleared to return and would be taking the field for spring training. PressBox named him our inaugural “Mo Gaba Sportsperson of the Year” shortly thereafter.
9. Feb. 28, 2021: Standing Ovation In Spring Training Return
Not only did the crowd in attendance for the Orioles-Pirates exhibition game give the conquering hero well deserved ovations, Mancini actually showed a flair for the dramatic by collecting a hit in his first at-bat of the spring and first since his return from cancer.
10. April 8, 2021: Standing Ovation During Home Opener
There might have only been about 10,000 fans in attendance due to COVID pandemic restrictions, but those fans were a LOUD 10,000 when Mancini was introduced, speaking on behalf of those Orioles fans who couldn’t be there.
11. July 12, 2021: Mancini Makes Dramatic Run To Home Run Derby Championship Round
It really only mattered that he was there. More people were going to learn his story and perhaps even donate money to the fight against cancer. If he bowed out in Round 1, it would hardly be considered a disappointment. Instead, Mancini legitimately competed for the title, falling just one homer short of Pete Alonso in the final.
12. July 28, 2021: Mancini’s Home Run On The First Anniversary Of Mo Gaba’s Death
Exactly one year after the death of his friend and fellow cancer warrior Mo Gaba, Mancini created an unforgettable moment. After hitting a third-inning home run, he came out of the dugout to share words (and a blown kiss) with Mo’s mother Sonsy Gaba, who had thrown the ceremonial first pitch to him before the game.
13. Nov. 22, 2021: American League Comeback Player Of The Year
While perhaps there was no doubt as to who was going to win, this moment was still very special. It showed a national recognition of what Mancini had overcome to get back on the field (and produce!) in 2021. It was also the most significant honor of any kind that Mancini received during his Orioles tenure.
14. July 8, 2022: Walk-Off Hit Caps Dramatic Comeback
Five years after his game-clinching heroics against the Pirates, Mancini delivered his second walk-off win. This time it was just a walk-off single, but it was the final piece of a spectacular two-out ninth-inning rally (in front of a frenzied, floppy-hat-wearing crowd) that iced an improbable victory against the Angels, part of a 10-game winning streak that would completely turn the Orioles’ season around.
15. July 28, 2022: “The Immaculate Rejection”
Maybe Mancini will return to the Orioles in free agency (or even at a later point in his career). If he doesn’t, it will be hard to imagine a player ever experiencing a more magical final home at-bat than the one Mancini had. A fly ball to right field glanced off of Josh Lowe’s face and turned into an inside-the-park home run … again on Mo Gaba Day. It was the type of moment that will make you believe in just about anything.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox