Blue Jays Just Can’t Limit Damage From This Red Sox Slugger

Tyler O’Neill has plenty of power. The Boston Red Sox have seen that as long as the outfielder’s been healthy in 2024.

No team has seen the damage O’Neill can do in Boston like the Toronto Blue Jays.

O’Neill smashed an important two-run homer to add insurance in a 3-0 win for the Red Sox on Wednesday night. On the year, that’s five home runs with seven runs driven in and eight runs scored in nine games against the Blue Jays. There’s no rhyme or reason to that trend for the 29-year-old.

“No, I don’t have one,” O’Neill told reporters, per NESN’s postgame coverage. “Just trying to have good at-bats every time I go up there. Thankful to get it done today.”

Do his roots as a Canadian have a role in producing against Toronto?

“It could be,” O’Neill joked.

His 24th home run of the season came at the right time for the Red Sox to earn back-to-back wins after a demoralizing doubleheader on Monday that deflated playoff hopes. Now, it’s up to Boston to continue the momentum.

“Every game matters, for sure,” O’Neill said. “Obviously understanding that we’ve gone through a bit of a rough stretch. The doubleheader sweep didn’t help anything. Kudos to (Alex Cora) for shutting the clubhouse down, get us in later. Keep the energy flowing. We were able to show up and the boys were bouncing out there today. Guys are just more excited overall. It’s just better for us and having fun again. Hopefully, we do the same thing tomorrow and get another win.”

The Red Sox look to win the series on Thursday night against the Blue Jays. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.