[ad_1]
Trey Mancini received a standing ovation and applause from both dugout canoes on Sunday in his first live batting after missing the 2020 season while recovering from stage 3 colon cancer.
When the Baltimore Orioles first baseman arrived in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he drew a nice round of applause as he approached the striking area and waved to the crowd. The cheers continued to grow, with pitcher Chad Kuhl descending from the mound and referee Will Little clearing the field to prolong the salute.
After tilting his cap in recognition of the applause, Mancini then punctuated his return with a single in the center.
“It was amazing,” Mancini told reporters when asked about the standing ovation. “I almost cried a little, I’m not going to lie, when I was up there and everyone gave me a standing ovation and I saw all the guys on the ground applauding the Pirates, applauding in the canoe , our team and all our fans. It meant the world to me. It was a really, really cool time and one of the favorite moments of my baseball career.
“I think it was a huge day for me, personally, to come back into a game. Just another kind of milestone that I can tick off here.”
After producing 35 homers and 97 RBIs for the Orioles in 2019, Mancini looked ready for even bigger things. But after playing just five spring training games last year, he had to end his season to undergo surgery for colon cancer.
“It’s been almost a year to the day since I last played in a game, so it was really a moment when we came full circle a bit,” said Mancini, who will be 29 in a few minutes, said Sunday. weeks. “I thought more about everything that happened today than I have in a long time. I mostly tried a lot of ways to move on and not think too much about the last year. But today I went through all of the tough days that we really tried to enjoy and cherish today. ”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link