When fan favorite Trey Mancini was traded at the MLB trade deadline, Birdland was torn. While it was tough to see him go, many fans consoled ourselves with the fact that maybe, just maybe, Trey would be a part of one of the teams competing in the Fall Classic, the World Series, come October. O’s fans had largely hoped to see Mancini dealt to the New York Mets, where he would have been able to reunite with former manager Buck Showalter. At the time, the Mets looked to be running away with the NL East, so they seemed a safe bet to end up as World Series participants. New York was eventually overtaken by the Atlanta Braves for the division title though, and fell unceremoniously in the Wild Card round to the San Diego Padres.
No matter, as Mancini didn’t end up rejoining Showalter. Instead, he went to Mike Elias’ old squad, the Houston Astros. If Trey was going to have the best chance at wearing a ring at the end of the 2022 season, where better to go? Houston had appeared in five consecutive American League Championship series, gone to the World Series in three of those seasons, and won it in 2017. Yes, there’s the whole trash-can-beating thing, but there’s no getting around the fact that Houston has been the most consistently successful franchise of the last decade.
Now, the Astros have added to those impressive streaks. They’ve now played in six straight American League Championship Series, and four of the last six World Series. If you’re looking to bet on the Fall Classic, where the Astros will take on the Philadelphia Phillies, you can find useful information here at DraftKings Maryland now that sports betting is legal in Maryland.
Mancini didn’t exactly light it up for Houston after being traded, hitting just .176 with a .258 OBP and eight home runs in 51 games. In the postseason, he’s had just 12 at-bats, and has yet to register a hit. However, he came through with a sacrifice fly RBI in game three of the ‘Stros sweep of the New York Yankees in the ALCS.
After being with the Orioles for his entire career, Mancini got his first taste of the postseason. With it came some added pressure.
“You try to treat it like any other game as best you can. But there’s certainly a little more adrenaline that comes with these games,” Mancini said. “They’re incredibly fun to be a part of. It’s what I waited my whole life for and what everybody else … has waited their whole lives for. We were kids watching these games on TV. So you got to enjoy it. But at the same time, obviously, you want to come through for your team and put your best foot forward.”
Still, his struggles aside, Mancini is enjoying the moment, having gained quite a bit of perspective during his battle with cancer. Being a part of such a great team certainly helped, and Houston’s incredible depth of talent easily overcame New York, even with Mancini’s relatively minimal contributions.
“Baseball was the last thing on my mind. I just wanted to live,” Mancini said on the field after Game 4 last week. “I wanted to do whatever I could to be alive. If I could play baseball again, great. To not only be back but to be part of a team that is going to the World Series is pretty special.”
It was on the eve of the sports world, including baseball, shutting down in the face of the emerging Covid-19 pandemic when Mancini received the news that would change his life. During spring training, O’s fans heard that Mancini was missing for unknown reasons. On March 7, he underwent additional testing, and then, on March 12, we learned that he had been diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy, missing the entire 2020 season. In November of that year, he announced that he was cancer free and planned to return for the 2021 season. He did just that, playing in 147 games, batting .255/.326/.432 with 21 home runs and winning the American League Comeback Player of the Year.
Since leaving, Mancini has regularly gone out of his way to say all the right things about his time in Charm City. Even on the field after winning the ALCS, he prefaced his remarks about his new team with “everybody knows how much of a fondness I have for Baltimore, and they really helped shape me into who I am today.
Likewise, Mancini will always have a place in the hearts of O’s fans, and most of us will be rooting for him to raise the trophy along with his Astros teammates here in the coming days. It’s easy to put aside any lingering distaste we may have for the Astros following the cheating scandal and instead focus on Trey’s amazing story adding such an incredible chapter.
