Red Sox Sluggers Pull Off Home Run Feat Last Seen In 1994 In Pivotal Orioles Win

That's one way to get in the win column...

Sep 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Tyler O'Neill (17) hits a home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox certainly brought the boom on Monday night at Fenway Park.

In the top of the third inning, right fielder Rob Refsnyder and designated hitter Tyler O'Neill hit back-to-back home runs, establishing a 4-1 lead that the Red Sox ultimately would not relinquish, despite a few brushes with danger.

Then, in the eighth inning, Refsnyder and O'Neill ran it back for old time's sake.

Yes, the two righty sluggers went back-to-back twice in the same game, helping Boston to a much-needed 12-3 victory over the team with the second-best record in the American League. Now 73-71, the Red Sox are miraculously just three games out of playoff position behind the Minnesota Twins.

If Refsnyder and O'Neill's feat sounds rare, that's because it's nearly unprecedented, at least in Red Sox lore.

MLB.com Red Sox reporter Ian Browne reported that according to Elias, there was only one other game in which the same two Red Sox hitters went back-to-back twice--Mo Vaughn and Tim Naehring in April 1994.

Atlanta Braves teammates Matt Olson and Travis d'Arnaud also accomplished the feat in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Jul. 31, so Refsnyder and O'Neill have some company among home run royalty this season.

For Refsnyder, the pair of longballs represented the end of a long slump. He'd gone four for his last 33 dating back to Aug. 20. For O'Neill, it was the continuation of a remarkable trend.

Monday night's game was the seventh multi-homer effort for O'Neill this season, meaning he has hit 14 of his 29 dingers in seven of his 99 games played. He's done it five times since Jun. 17, representing 10 of his last 17 bombs.

The streaky Canadian also managed to keep his home run total greater than half of his RBI total with the pair of solo shots. He's still only had 56 RBI on the season, 20 of the 29 home runs have been solo efforts.

The Red Sox should be buried by now, but they're not, and they shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. But in order to make an earnest charge at a playoff spot, they'll need two of their only right-handed power bats to keep producing in the middle of the order.

Monday night was an excellent start.

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