Tyler O'Neill makes history in Red Sox debut
On Thursday night, the Red Sox began their 2024 campaign with a 6-4 win over the Seattle Mariners. As the Red Sox flexed their power with two home runs, Tyler O’Neill made history.
In the eighth inning, O’Neill stepped to the plate looking to give Boston an insurance run. On the first pitch of the at-bat, he hit a sweeper 394 feet to right-center for his first home run of the season. The former third-round pick became the first player in MLB history to hit a home run in five straight Opening Days.
As O’Neill etched himself into the history books, he continued to distance himself from some of the best hitters the game has ever seen. Since 1900, Gary Carter and Yogi Berra are the only other players to homer in at least four straight Opening Day games. That is not something O’Neill is taking for granted.
“I don’t know, it has to be something to do with the pregame ceremony or something,” O’Neill told MLB.Com’s Ian Browne. “It’s fun. You always want to kick the season off with a bang. Fortunately, I have been able to do it [five] times in a row now. Just having a lot of fun out there.”
Although the home run was O’Neill’s only hit of the night, it was an example of the impact he can make. Over the last two years, he has been limited by injuries, but he has always been a power threat. During the 2021 campaign, the Canadian native hit 34 home runs in a career-high 141 games. The Red Sox are hoping he can rediscover that form.
With the first game of the season over, the Red Sox have plenty to be happy about. They got a strong start from Brayan Bello, and Alex Cora recorded his first Opening Day win as a manager. O’Neill securing a unique spot in baseball history was the cherry on top for a team looking to defy expectations.
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