Mancini gets hit in return from cancer: 'The most special' game of my career
It was a moment Trey Mancini thought he'd never get again.
The Baltimore Orioles first baseman officially returned to the majors Friday at Fenway Park a little over a year after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Mancini went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in the Orioles' 3-0 win over the Boston Red Sox, calling it "the most special" game of his career.
First hit of the season for @treymancini. 💪🧡 pic.twitter.com/NSpEkXnKkP
— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2021
"A lot of things ran through my mind today - days where I couldn't get out of bed, days where I was hunched over the toilet sick. It was all worth it to be back here, to be out there with the guys," he said, according to Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun. "It's something that I can't describe."
Mancini, 29, received his diagnosis shortly after arriving at spring training last March. He underwent surgery to remove the malignant tumor, then required six months of chemotherapy.
He completed the treatments in September and was deemed fit to resume his baseball career in November.
The Orioles weren't alone in celebrating his return. Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez gave Mancini a warm welcome before his first at-bat, while Xander Bogaerts embraced him after reaching base during the game.
"It means everything in the world to me," Mancini said of the gestures from Boston's players, according to MASN's Roch Kubatko. "We all play against each other 19 times a year in this division, but we all have a very high respect for each other, and we wish the best for everybody playing the game."
The Orioles are expected to be one of MLB's worst teams in 2021, but every contest will hold meaning for Mancini regardless of result.
"You know, when you hear you're diagnosed with cancer, like I've told you guys, baseball was the last thing on my mind," he said. "Quite frankly, before I knew anything about the cancer, whenever the doctor told me, I thought I was never going to play baseball again.
"I made sure to soak it all in, no matter what happened today, and just appreciate doing this for a living. I'm not going to ever take that for granted."