Maple Ridge’s Tyler O’Neill had a monster start to a new Major League Baseball season.
On opening day, which was April 7 for his Cardinals, O’Neill was batting third between superstars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He went two-for-three at the plate with a home run and five RBI. He was the first Redbird to plate five RBI on opening day since 1928.
Tyler O'Neill is the first @Cardinals hitter to drive in 5+ runs on #OpeningDay since 1928 (Wally Roettger). pic.twitter.com/bm9e7iMvLK
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) April 7, 2022
It started with an appetizer – a single to centre to score a run in the first inning. Then came the main course that was a 390-foot bomb to deep left field to score three runs in the second. Dessert was a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth, to end a great day at the plate.
Last season O’Neill, who is 26, broke out with a season of hitting to a .286 average, with 34 home runs and 80 RBI. He also won his second Golden Glove award for his defensive work in left field.
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