Tyler O’Neill has a lot of power. The Boston Red Sox saw that as long as the outfielder was healthy in 2024.
No team has experienced the damage O’Neill can do in Boston like the Toronto Blue Jays.
O’Neill hit a key two-run home run to give the Red Sox a 3-0 win on Wednesday night. This year, that’s five home runs, seven runs scored and eight runs batted in in nine games against the Blue Jays. For the 29-year-old, there’s no rhyme or reason to the trend.
“No, I don’t have one,” O’Neill told reporters, according to NESN’s postgame coverage. “I just try to have good hitting opportunities every time I go up there. I’m thankful I was able to do it today.”
The story continues below the ad
Did his Canadian roots play a role in his performance against Toronto?
“That could be,” joked O’Neill.
His 24th home run of the season came at just the right time to help the Red Sox reel off two straight wins after a demoralizing doubleheader on Monday that dashed their playoff hopes. Now it’s up to Boston to keep the momentum going.
“Every game counts, for sure,” O’Neill said. “Obviously we understand we went through a rough patch. The doubleheader sweep didn’t help. Hats off to (Alex Cora) for closing the clubhouse and bringing us in later. Keep the energy flowing. We were able to show up and the guys were bouncing out there today. The guys are just more excited overall. It’s just better for us and we’re having fun again. Hopefully we can do the same thing tomorrow and get another win.”
The story continues below the ad
The Red Sox look to win the series against the Blue Jays on Thursday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. You can watch the game and an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
