Each of the past six straight seasons, Tyler O’Neill has homered on Opening Day in a one-of-a-kind streak in the history of the sport.
The Orioles outfielder, who has been dubbed “Mr. Opening Day,” admits tacking on another homer will be on his mind when Baltimore hosts the Minnesota Twins on March 26.
Since becoming the record holder, O’Neill says every time he steps into the batter’s box on Opening Day, he immediately thinks about the streak and taking a pitch deep.
“It’s an elephant in the room,” the 30-year-old O’Neill told reporters Thursday. “Pressure’s off, obviously. I don’t really have to prove anything in that regard. But yeah, it’s on my mind. Would it be great to push it to seven? Yeah. Of course, it would be.
“And if I get the opportunity to do that, great. But if not, no big deal.”
Before O’Neill blew into history, the top streak was four and shared by Hall of Famers Yogi Berra (1955-58), Gary Carter (1977-80) and a third catcher in Todd Hundley (1994-97).
This season, the first pitcher he faces is slated to be right-hander Joe Ryan of the Twins. O’Neill has faced Ryan in just contest and went 1-for-2 with a homer in 2023
O’Neill’s streak started when he homered on Opening Day for the Cardinals in 2020. He did so the next three seasons for St. Louis before breaking the record in the Boston Red Sox’s opener in 2024.
Last season, he homered for the Orioles as he smacked a three-run blast in the third inning off right-hander Jose Berrios of the Toronto Blue Jays.
O’Neill was plagued by injuries last season and played in just 54 games for Baltimore. He batted .199 with nine homers and 26 RBIs.
“I’m just going to try and go out and play my game, and whatever the result yields, it is what it is,” O’Neill said.
O’Neill twice has topped 30 homers in his career. His best RBI total was 80 for the Cardinals in 2021.
O’Neill made it clear that the results on Opening Day aren’t the only ones that matter.
“We’ve got 161 games to go after that,” O’Neill said. “It’s just all about having a good time and being with the guys and not making more of it than it is.”
