BALTIMORE — Wearing a black-and-white Orioles jersey with “MO” stitched on the back, Sonsy Gaba stood near the Camden Yards mound, fighting back tears as the video tribute to her son played on the scoreboard. She fanned her face as the Oriole Bird wrapped an arm around her. Trey Mancini waited at home plate, understandably the recipient of Gaba’s ceremonial first pitch Wednesday, the one-year anniversary of Mo’s death.
Mo, an Orioles and Ravens superfan who spent most of his 14 1/2 years battling cancer, was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame the same day he died, honored as the recipient of the Wild Bill Hagy Award. During Mancini’s time in Baltimore, he and Mo grew close. Mancini slumped through 2018′s first half, then spent the All-Star break with Mo, an experience that offered perspective about his on-field struggles. After earning Most Valuable Oriole honors the next year, he hosted the Purple Tailgate to support Mo that offseason.
When Mancini received his own diagnosis of stage 3 colon cancer in March 2020, he thought about how Mo always handled his battle: with radiant positivity and a desire to make each day a win.
After Sonsy Gaba’s underhand toss home, Mancini met her near the mound for a hug, then they posed for a photo with the Oriole Bird. They reconnected again the third inning of Baltimore’s 8-7 walk-off win against the Miami Marlins; in an 0-2 count, Mancini homered to cut into the first of the two deficits the Orioles erased. Standing on the dugout steps, he called out into the stands, where Gaba and family were sitting a few rows back.
Mancini was later on second, the first recipient of two straight intentional walks, when Ryan McKenna drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Orioles (35-65) a walk-off victory in a game they trailed 5-0 in the second and 7-5 in the eighth.
Earlier this month, Mancini participated in the Home Run Derby, wanting to show viewers that there’s life after a cancer diagnosis. He also wanted it to honor those who lost their lives to the disease. In Mo and former Notre Dame teammate Ricky Palmer, Mancini saw two friends die of cancer as he endured his own battle. He recognized them with a runner-up performance.
His trip around the bases Wednesday was his third in 11 games since and team-highest 19th of his comeback season. He’ll likely get the chance to homer in front of Sonsy Gaba again soon; Mo will be honored along with the Orioles’ 2021 Hall of Fame class Aug. 7.
Old friend alerts
A series of hits off fielders’ gloves and a Jesús Aguilar home run in right-hander Jorge López’s two innings put the Orioles in a 5-0 hole. They got out of it, only to quickly fall behind again. But against a series of relievers who were once part of the organization, they finally broke through in the late innings.
Pedro Severino’s three-run home run and Mancini’s solo shot off starter Jordan Holloway got all but one run back. With a runner on first and one out in the third, Holloway gave way to former Orioles pitcher David Hess, whose first pitch as a visitor at Camden Yards was a passed ball. Ramón Urías took advantage of the extra base with a game-tying double.
But after the Marlins scored twice in the fourth against Thomas Eshelman, the Orioles struggled to score while facing several of their former arms. Hess pitched a scoreless fourth. Zach Pop, one of the prospects acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Manny Machado, joined the Marlins in a trade after being picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2020 Rule 5 draft; he worked a scoreless fifth thanks to Ryan Mountcastle getting thrown out at home on DJ Stewart’s double. Preston Guilmet pitched 10 games for the 2014 Orioles and threw a perfect sixth for Miami.
But in the eighth, they finally broke through against Richard Bleier, who they traded to the Marlins early last season. After pinch-hitter McKenna walked and Urías doubled, Severino grounded to first base. After tagging the bag for an out, first baseman Lewin Díaz threw across the diamond to try to catch McKenna off third, but Brian Anderson missed the catch, allowing McKenna to score. Against an infield shifting him to pull to the left side, Maikel Franco trickled a grounder through the right side, typically where a second baseman would be, to tie the game.
