The Boston Red Sox needed some late-game magic to overcome the division-rival Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on Wednesday night, and outfielder Tyler O’Neill — amid a red-hot stretch at the plate — answered the call to action.
Boston took a blue-collared approach to mustering a come-from-behind rally, placing runners at the corners after Romy González reached first base — and advanced automatic runner Jarren Duran to third — on a ground ball booted by Baltimore rookie Jackson Holliday at second base. With the baton passed to O’Neill, who homered twice on Monday and this past weekend on Saturday, the right-handed slugger crushed a 1-0 offering from Orioles relief pitcher Keegan Akin 393 feet over the Green Monster to secure a 5-3 walk-off victory and a series win over Baltimore.
The game-deciding moonshot marked O’Neill’s team-leading 30th home run of the season, and the fifth in as many games with the Red Sox.
“Man, it’s awesome,” O’Neill said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Playing in Boston, September meaningful baseball. It’s a dream come true. It was a great game over there. The boys scrapped all day so it was awesome to get that win at the end. … Just trying to get a ball over the plate that I can do something with. Just saw something pop under the head and put a good swing on it.”
O’Neill notched his fifth-career walk-off RBI and second this season in Boston.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox remain four games behind the Minnesota Twins for the third and final American League wild card spot, now tasked to work around 16 games remaining in the regular season before postseason spots are officially booked. Ending the homestand on a high note, Boston next hits the road to battle the AL East-leading New York Yankees in a four-game series starting Thursday night.
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