HOUSTON — Trey Mancini will at all times hold a special fondness for his first major league manager.
Now within the World Series with the Astros after he was acquired from Baltimore on the trade deadline, the 30-year-old Mancini recently recalled receiving his opportunity from Buck Showalter upon making it to the large leagues in 2016.
The Orioles were competing for a wild-card berth in September when Mancini was thrust into the lineup to assist replace injured Steve Pearce. In five games, Mancini blasted three homers.
“I used to be a younger guy and that situation will be a little bit daunting, but he threw me in there and trusted me and believed in me and really helped me get off to an incredible start in my profession,” Mancini said of Showalter, the present Mets manager. “Buck believing in me was huge and it’s an enormous reason why I’m here today.”
Mancini, a colon cancer survivor who missed the 2020 season, said he thought there was a possibility he could be traded to the Mets on the deadline. Ultimately, the Mets went in a distinct direction for a right-handed bat and purchased Darin Ruf from the Giants.
Mancini landed with the Astros, for whom he posted a .176/.258/.364 slash line, with eight homers and 22 RBIs, in 51 games.
“It’s incredible to be playing within the World Series, especially after enduring some tougher seasons in Baltimore the previous couple of years,” Mancini said before the Astros’ 5-2 win over the Phillies in Game 2. “Things began to turn around this 12 months and I believe they’ve a brilliant future ahead of them, but it surely makes all of the tougher times value it, to have this chance and be playing on this series.”
Mancini was asked if playing for manager Dusty Baker is anything like his time with Showalter.
“They’ve been pretty much like play for and I like that,” Mancini said. “They study the sport, they’ve been across the game for a very long time and I’m of the same mold so I even have at all times meshed rather well with those guys.”
Kyle Tucker, who homered twice in Game 1, is among the many few MLB players who doesn’t recurrently wear batting gloves. Tucker said it’s a alternative that dates to his high-school playing days.
“I probably ripped a pair of batting gloves and just never got one other pair and just learned to hit without them,” Tucker said. “And that’s just sort of the way it began and I just never really felt the necessity for them, really.”
Tucker said occasionally when the weather is “freezing cold,” he’ll wear gloves.
Bryce Harper’s 11-game hitting streak this postseason was snapped after he went 0-for-4 within the Game 2 loss. He had reached base in all 12 of the Phillies’ games. Greg Luzinski holds the Phillies record with a 13-game postseason hitting streak (1976-80).