Sept. 21, 2016
By Michael Scholl
BALTIMORE — As a native of Bowie, Maryland, Beth Mancini took her son Trey to Oriole Park at Camden Yards several times growing up. On Tuesday night in Baltimore, she made the trip to not only cheer on the Orioles, but to watch her son and former Notre Dame baseball player Trey Mancini make his major league debut.
Called up in the middle of a pennant race, Trey didn’t disappoint. Penciled in at designated hitter by manager Buck Showalter, Mancini collected his first career hit in style, homering in the Oriole’s 5-2 loss to the Red Sox.
Still don’t believe the fairy tale? Mancini’s dinger came on what would have been his grandfather’s 79th birthday. The same grandfather who for 20 years was a season ticket holder to Baltimore Orioles games.
Wave it bye-bye! There goes @TreyMancini‘s first Major League hit. #Birdland pic.twitter.com/W9TYsn6Ssa
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 21, 2016
Mancini’s bomb broke up a no-hitter in the fifth inning by Boston’s Eduardo Rodriguez and resulted in a curtain call for Mancini, as well as a great reaction from his proud mother, Beth.
“It was a really special moment, something that I’ve been waiting for my whole life,” Mancini told MLB.com’s Ryan Baillargeon after the game. “It was especially cool for my family.”
After watching her son earn a curtain call at Camden Yards, Beth told MLB Network’s Jon Morosi she could not wait to get home and watch it again.
“I’m just numb,” Beth said. “I was hugging everybody so much I really didn’t even see him run the bases. I didn’t see him tip his hat to the crowd, so I can’t wait to go back to the hotel and watch everything when I’m by myself.”
The loss moves the Orioles one game behind Toronto and five games in back of AL East-leading Boston as they look to lock-up a playoff berth. Baltimore currently holds a 1.5 game lead over Detroit for the second wild card spot.
Playing for the Irish from 2011-13, Mancini was a career .345 hitter with 28 home runs and 133 RBI. Last year, he was named the Orioles’ Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year after hitting .341 with 43 doubles, six triples, 21 home runs and 89 RBI for Class-A Frederick Keyes and Double-A Bowie.
Trey Mancini: 2nd @Orioles player in last 50 seasons to homer in his MLB debut (Jonathan Schoop, 2013 vs TOR)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 21, 2016
— ND —
Michael Scholl joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in August 2016, assisting with efforts for the football team, while directing efforts for the baseball program at his alma mater. The South Bend native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts & Letters in 2009 before going on to work in athletics communications at Providence College, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in sport administration at the University of Cincinnati.