Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Slugger Makes MLB History With Impressive Opening Day Feat

The newcomer aided Boston's first win of the season
Scott Neville|
Mar 3, 2024; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (10) and left fielder
Mar 3, 2024; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (10) and left fielder | Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox kicked off their season with a 6-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park late Thursday night -- and into Friday morning for those of us on the East Coast.

While the performance will signify the official start of the 2024 season, the game itself will have a much larger long-term implication due to Red Sox newcomer Tyler O'Neill.

The most jacked outfielder in baseball set a Major League Baseball record by launching his fifth consecutive Opening Day home run. He was previously tied with Yogi Berra, Gary Carter and Todd Hundley -- who all had streaks of four according to the NESN broadcast.

O'Neill was aware of the record going into the game but did not have much to attribute the seemingly random feat toward.

"Man I don't know, something about the routine of coming into Opening Day, you just want to kickstart the season," O'Neill told NESN's Jahmai Webster after the game.

The 28-year-old hit .231 with 23 extra-base hits including nine home runs, 21 RBIs and a .715 OPS (94 OPS+) in 72 games last season for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Injuries have plagued the last couple of years of O'Neill's career but he's proven to be a Gold Glove defender with serious pop when healthy -- he had 62 extra-base hits including 34 home runs in 2021, his last season eclipsing 100 games.

Now he'll try to reestablish his value both as a member of the Red Sox and as an impending free agent. He's off to a strong start.

More MLB: Red Sox Legend David Ortiz Was Extremely Blunt About Boston's Ongoing Rebuild

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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