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Boston Red Sox Slugger Tyler O’Neill Moves Up Historic Lists With Walk-Off Home Run

Tyler O'Neill delivered a walk-off home run in extra innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, continuing his dominant debut season with the Boston Red Sox.

Sam Connon

Sep 11, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Tyler O'Neill (17) his a three run home run to win the game against the Baltimore Orioles in 10 innings at Fenway Park.
Sep 11, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Tyler O'Neill (17) his a three run home run to win the game against the Baltimore Orioles in 10 innings at Fenway Park. / David Butler II-Imagn Images
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The Boston Red Sox have been fighting for their playoff lives for weeks, and Tyler O'Neill just won't let them die.

Deep into a back-and-forth battle with the Baltimore Orioles, the Red Sox suddenly found themslves down 3-2 in the 10th inning. Superstar third baseman Rafael Devers didn't get the bottom of the frame off the best start when he struck out swinging, and Romy Gonzalez's grounder to second continued to tank Boston's hopes.

Jackson Holliday made an error, though, letting Gonzalez reach safely. That brought O'Neill up to the plate with two men on, and he ended the game then and there.

The power-hitting outfielder turned on a low and inside slider, crushing it 393 feet to left for a walk-off, three-run home run. The 5-3 victory moved the Red Sox to 74-72 on the season, keeping them within 4.0 games of the final AL Wild Card spot.

O'Neill is up to 30 home runs through 101 games with the Red Sox. According to TSN's StatsCentre, that makes him the fourth-fastest player in franchise history to reach 30 homers.

Manny Ramirez owns the record, doing so in 94 games, while JD Martinez did it in 96 and Jimmie Foxx made it there in 100.

Red Sox director of media relations JP Long added that O'Neill's 30 bombs are tied for the third-most through 101 games with the club. Manny and JD Martinez had 32 to this point in 2001 and 2018, respectively, while Foxx had 30 at the same point in 1936.

On top of that, O'Neill is now the sixth Canadian-born MLB player with multiple 30-home runs seasons in his career.

O'Neill is batting .258 with 30 home runs, 59 RBI, an .895 OPS and a 2.8 WAR in 2024, his first season since getting traded away by the St. Louis Cardinals. The only players with fewer at-bats per home run this year, minimum 20 home runs, are leading MVP candidates Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

Once their playoff push is over, the Red Sox will have to make a decision on whether or not to bring O'Neill back for more in 2025. He is set to become a free agent at year's end, so the length of his tenure in Boston could depend on whether or not he powers them all the way to the postseason.

The 29-year-old is set to anchor the Red Sox's lineup this weekend in a critical series with the New York Yankees. Game one is scheduled to get underway at 7:15 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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Sam Connon

SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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