Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill recorded a home run on his sixth consecutive Opening Day on Thursday, launching a three-run shot in the third inning against Toronto Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos to extend his own record.
O’Neill, who joined the Orioles over the offseason on a three-year contract worth nearly $50 million, became the record holder last Opening Day. Prior to that, he was tied with Todd Hundley (1994-97), Gary Carter (1977-80), and Yogi Berra (1955-58) with four consecutive Opening Day home runs, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Here’s a look at the home run in all its moving picture glory:
“Obviously, it’s nice to start the season out with a bang, but I’m not trying to go out there and hit homers or anything like that,” O’Neill recently told MASN. “I’m just trying to stay to my game plan and take my at-bats I normally would any other day. A little more adrenaline with Opening Day and lineup announcement, the national anthem is much better. Just everything’s a lot more fun for everyone, I guess.
“Last year I knew what was going on, so that was pretty cool and an awesome feeling for me, but it doesn’t really matter going forward. I just try to play a full season and make sure I can do what I can do on a daily basis.”
O’Neill, 29, entered Thursday a career .246/.322/.469 hitter (116 OPS+). His contributions have been worth an estimated 12.8 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference’s calculations. Further, he’s a two-time Gold Glove Award recipient who finished eighth in National League Most Valuable Player Award voting back in 2021, when he was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
Read the full article here
