Trey Mancini’s Fairy Tale Came At The Expense Of Josh Lowe’s Face

This afternoon might have been Trey Mancini's final game as an Oriole at Camden Yards, and the crowd on hand knew it. A solid contributor for the team since his rookie year in 2017, and who took a year off to treat colon cancer before making a comeback in 2021, the potential impending free agent is the most talked-about trade candidate on the Baltimore roster ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline. And so when he came up to bat in the eighth inning of the Orioles' win over the Rays, the fans saluted him with a standing ovation. Nobody could have predicted what came next.

Well, the first part was fairly routine. Mancini flied an 0-2 pitch to the opposite field, where Rays right fielder Josh Lowe moved backward to make the catch. He didn't make the catch, though. Lowe lost the ball in the sky and stood helplessly, with his glove in the air, as the ball crashed down mercilessly onto his face before scampering into the corner. Lowe's misfortune gave Mancini a window to travel all the way around the bases, and with the folks in the stands screaming their heads off, he just barely beat a lackadaisical tag by the catcher as he slid into home.

"A fairy tale has come to life!" Orioles announcer Kevin Brown shouted after Mancini scored. That's a bit rude to say while Lowe is still nursing the bruise on his cheek, but the incredible timing and ridiculous outcome of this play defies logical explanation. It really does look like one of the most staged, movie-like baseball plays of all time, but unfortunately for Lowe, there's no special effect creating this bonk.

Mancini's moment wasn't just a colloquial inside-the-park homer, either. I don't know how in the world Lowe's blooper is anything but an error, but as of right now, the box score has Mancini down for an HR in the eighth. Even if they change it, you can still call it however you see fit.