The Red Sox and Orioles haven't accounted for much offense today (just two runs and six combined hits through six mostly uneventful innings), though Friday’s opener at Fenway did produce a pretty special moment between Xander Bogaerts and Trey Mancini. Making his eighth straight Opening Day start at shortstop for Boston, Bogaerts began his afternoon by reaching on an error to lead off the second inning. Upon his arrival at first, Xander made sure to give Mancini a tight squeeze, embracing the Orioles first baseman in his first major-league game since 2019.
Mancini missed all of last season while battling stage-3 colon cancer. After undergoing surgery and months of chemotherapy, the 29-year-old was declared cancer-free in November, clearing the way for his return to MLB this spring. Mancini, who led Baltimore with a career-high 35 homers in 2019, seemed appreciative of Bogaerts’ gesture. The Sox and O’s have long been division rivals, but clearly that hasn’t stopped Xander and Mancini from sharing a mutual respect.
The rebuilding Orioles are a long way off from competing in the top-heavy AL East, but Mancini’s return from last year’s illness is already one of the feel-good stories of the 2021 season.
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