Astros' Trey Mancini reveals why he's looking forward to playing in Philadelphia

Houston Astros outfielder and DH Trey Mancini just wants his life to be normal again. That means getting booed on the road.

Fortunately for him, the Astros are playing the right team from the right city in the World Series for that to happen.

Mancini has been one of the best stories in baseball since the start of the 2021 season when he was able to return to the game after missing the entire 2020 season due to a battle with colon cancer. It not only resulted in him being the AL Comeback Player of the Year, but it also got him plenty of support around the league, even as a visiting player. 

That was weird to Mancini, who actually missed the harsh treatment from road fans,

“My first year back everybody was too nice to me, in a way,” said Mancini, who missed the hostile crowds of New York and Boston, via The Athletic. “A lot of the fans, when I was on deck or in the outfield, would say, ‘Happy to see you back.’ It was just kind of weird. I was very happy and touched that they felt like that, but I was kind of missing getting booed in the road experience. (I heard it) a little bit more earlier this year in Baltimore, especially as the team started playing better. And then here, yeah, it’s like back to normal. That’s all I’ve ever wanted was to be back to normal.”

Mancini spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles until he was traded to Houston just before this year's trade deadline. In 143 games with the two teams he hit .239 with 18 home runs, 63 runs batted in, a .319 on-base percentage and a .710 OPS. 

He has appeared in four postseason games for the Astros but has yet to get a hit in 15 plate appearances. 

The good news for him is that the combination of playing road games in Philadelphia, as well as playing for an Astros team that is still one of the most loathed teams in pro sports given the sign-stealing scandal from a few years ago, should get him and his teammates plenty of boos when the Astros go on the road this series. Things will feel very normal for him.