“This has been the greatest family you could ever hope for,” Cosgriff said. “I got phone calls every single day. I didn’t go a single day without talking to these guys.”

After Harvard took three of four from Yale at O’Donnell two weeks ago, Walsh didn’t want to talk about the big wins or how the Ivy race was shaping up. He wanted to talk about Wes, about what an amazing man he is, about his miracle recovery.

When the Crimson clinched its first Beanpot title in a decade with a win over Northeastern, and Mann was presented the trophy, the captain held it up in the air and proclaimed to anyone within earshot, “This is for Wes.”

At every moment of triumph, he seemed to be the topic of conversation, so it was singularly appropriate that on a day like yesterday—the most triumphant day of the season—he was there, watching every lead-changing home run from the third base dugout.

“This was probably the worst thing for my health, watching these games,” Cosgriff joked after Harvard scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to take Game 2. “It was amazing.”

The truth is, it would have been amazing regardless.

Moments after Cosgriff walked off the mound, he was replaced by Frank Herrmann, who gutted his way through one of his rougher outings of the season. But after the game, he was beaming.

“I told him, kind of joking around, that I’ve pitched my two worst games of the season when he was there,” Herrmann said, smiling. “I told him he’s a jinx, but that it’s okay, because I’d rather have him here and pitch crappy than pitch good without him here.”

Yesterday, wasn’t about wins, runs, or anything else you can count.

It was about the return of a teammate.

“It was going to be a good day no matter what,” Walsh said.

And it was.

Welcome back, Wes.

—Staff writer Lande A. Spottswood can be reached at spottsw@fas.harvard.edu.