November 7, 2024

The Boston Red Sox had a lot of roster issues, but they made no major acquisitions during the MLB winter.

Tyler O’Neill is one addition they did make that should be beneficial. The seasoned outfielder played with the St. Louis Cardinals for his first six Major League Baseball seasons, including an outstanding 2021 season in which he hit.286 with 34 home runs, 80 RBI, and placed seventh in the National League MVP voting.

Baseball is full of weird stats and records, and O’Neill is at the center of one that involves Opening Day feats.

He has hit a home run on Opening Day in four consecutive years. It’s tied for the longest such streak in MLB history, and if he homers Thursday night when the Red Sox open their 2024 season against the Mariners in Seattle, he’ll set a new record.

The only player with more Opening Day home runs than O’Neill over the last 10 years is New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton.

Despite hitting several Opening Day homers, O’Neill has typically been a slow starter with a lifetime batting average of just .228 with 87 strikeouts in March and April combined.

The Red Sox’s only chance of competing for a playoff spot this year is probably with a red-hot offense, so it would be pretty helpful if O’Neill started strong and helped set the tone for Alex Cora’s ballclub.

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