McAdam: In an afternoon of emotional comebacks, Eduardo Rodriguez steals the day

Trey Mancini wasn't the only one completing a comeback Thursday at Camden Yards. And Mancini himself understood that.

Prior to taking the field for the Baltimore Orioles' home opener after missing all of last season battling Stage 4 colon cancer, the first baseman noted that his scheduled opponent, Eduardo Rodriguez, was also making a comeback of his own.

Rodriguez, too, was achieving a milestone of sorts, just by being on the mound Thursday afternoon. Denied the opportunity to pitch the Red Sox season opener at Fenway last week due to some arm fatigue he experienced late in spring training, Rodriguez was on the mound for the first time since the final game of the 2019 season.

Like Mancini, Rodriguez also missed out on the entire 2020 season. And while his illness may not have been as obviously life-threatening as Mancini's battle, it was serious nonetheless: a case of COVID-19, detected at the start of summer camp, produced the dangerous side effect of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle.

For much of last summer and early fall, Rodriguez wasn't permitted -- or able to -- walk outside his house. When he got the clearance to begin light exercise, it was with the knowledge that he would be rebuilding his baseball career from scratch.

So while Mancini properly got the loudest applause from the fans and players, Rodriguez's return didn't go unnoticed. And when, a few hours later, awarded the win in the Sox' 7-3 thrashing of the O's, it was momentous enough for manager Alex Cora to briefly address the team in recognition of all that the veteran lefty had accomplished, resulting in the clubhouse erupting in applause.

As he had experienced in his first Grapefruit League start last month, Rodriguez felt a jumble of emotion as he took the mound in the bottom of the first. The limited capacity crowd of 10,150 in the ballpark was understandably focused on Mancini's first at-bat, but Rodriguez became part of the moment.

As Mancini stepped out of the box to acknowledge the ovation, he also made sure to gesture toward Rodriguez on the mound. For a few minutes, the game ceased to become a contest between rival teams and briefly became an expression of goodwill and sportsmanship.

Then, it was back to business for everyone involved and Rodriguez struggled at times to achieve a feeling of normalcy, distracted a bit by the setting.



''It was special,'' acknowledged Rodriguez. "When I went out there in the first inning, I was feeling like my first start in the big leagues. That's how I was feeling right away, as soon as I got in the first inning. My body was all chills. It's not like nervous; it's just that I was too excited to go out there.''

Whatever adrenaline he was feeling in the first, it seemed to impact his throwing. His stuff wasn't as crisp as usual, with his fastball sitting mostly at 91-92 mph, rather his customary 95 mph or so. And four batters in, Rodriguez surrendered a two-run homer to right-center to Ryan Mountcastle, erasing a 2-0 lead his teammates had built for him in the top of the inning.

An error by shortstop Marwin Gonzalez and a single to center gave the Orioles two more baserunners, but Rodriguez got out of further difficulty when he fanned Freddy Galvis to strand two. He needed 26 pitches to record the first three outs, but there was also the comfort that the worst was behind him.

In the dugout, a number of teammates essentially delivered the same message: Now that that's over, it's time to complete.

"After that,'' he said, "I was able to get into the game. It was normal.''

It showed. Soon, the fastball again popped at 95 mph and he settled into a comfortable rhythm. Starting with the strikeout of Galvis, he set down the next eight Orioles in a row. With one out and the bases empty in the fourth, Pedro Severino belted a solo homer to give the O's a one-run lead, but that would be the last baserunner Rodriguez allowed. He retired the final five hitters before Cora determined that 79 pitches were sufficient.

After the year he had and the setback he experienced that deprived him of his first Opening Day assignment, Rodriguez was due some good fortune and it took place in the top of the sixth inning. That's when the Red Sox loaded the bases and produced two runs against Matt Harvey and reliever Paul Fry.

The significance of that was it gave the Red Sox a one-run lead and made Rodriguez the pitcher of record. Just for good measure, the Red Sox kept adding on, with two more runs in the seventh and another in the eighth.

"What happened today,'' said Cora, "was because of (Rodriguez). He put in the work, he put himself in this situation, and it was very gratifying.''

For everyone involved, yes. But especially for the winning pitcher whose biggest victory came well before the go-ahead runs crossed the plate.