Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini was welcomed back to baseball in heartwarming fashion during the team's season opener against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday (April 2.)
Mancini appeared in his first game since being diagnosed with colon cancer, which caused him to miss the entire 2020 season, during Friday's game.
During an at-bar, the 29-year-old received a hug from Red Sox catcher Christian Vázquez and another one from Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaets while Bogaerts stood on first base.
Mancini initially left the Orioles during spring training in March 2020 to undergo a non-baseball medical procedure, which was later revealed to be surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon, just prior to the suspension of the 2020 season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The season eventually resumed last July, but Mancini was ruled out as he continued to recover. In November 2020, Mancini announced that he was cancer-free and intended to return to the Orioles for the 2021 season.
The 29-year-old started for the Orioles at first base during the team's season opener and went 1-3 with a run scored and a walk during Baltimore's 3-0 win at Fenway Park, which served as both team's season opener after Thursday's (April 1) game was postponed due to rain.
Baltimore starter John Means (1-0) earned the victory in Friday's game after pitching seven scoreless innings and recording five strikeouts and zero walks. The Red Sox were held to just two hits by Enrique Hernandez and J.D. Martinez, respectively.
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