Tyler O’Neill’s Opening Day HR streak is one of the most impressive feats in sports

Tyler O’Neill’s Opening Day HR streak is one of the most impressive feats in sports

On Thursday, new Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill broke his own record.

The 29-year-old outfielder entered the day having crushed a home run on Opening Day each of his last five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, respectively. No MLB player had ever done it more than four times; Todd Hundley (1994-97), Gary Carter (1977-80) and Yogi Berra (1955-58) were the only players to homer four-straight Opening Days.

Thursday’s opening day featured O’Neill extending his own remarkable streak, poking a 2-1 sinker on the outside corner the other way for a three-run home run to put the Orioles up 5-0 in the 3rd inning.

Tyler O’Neill has homered in not one, not two … but in SIX straight #OpeningDay games.#Birdland pic.twitter.com/yZE6Cz5FuI

— Vendetta Media (@VendettaVSM) March 27, 2025

Where does his record stack up among other Opening Day feats?

There’s no question that O’Neill’s Opening Day streak is very impressive, but where does it stack up among some other feats? Let’s examine:

Q: How many players have done _______ six-straight Opening Days?

• NBA: Scored 30 points: Twice (Kiki Vandeweghe, Adrian Dantley — 6)
• NFL: RBs who rushed for 100-plus yards: 0 (Erik Dickerson is the only player that did it five straight)
• NFL: RBs who rushed for at least one TD: 2 (Marcus Allen — 8, Chuck Muncie — 7)
• NFL: QBs who throw for at least 300 yards: 1 (Drew Brees — 6)
• NFL: QBS who throw for at least 3 TDs: 0 (Patrick Mahomes is the only QB to do it five times; only two others have done it at least three times)
• NFL: WRs or TEs who had at least 100 receiving yards: 0 (Michael Irvin is the only who did it five times)
• NFL: WRs or TEs who caught at least 1 TD: 1 (Herman Moore — 6)
• NHL: Scored at least one goal: 6 (Michel Goulet did it 11 times from 1980-92)

(Note: All numbers are according to Stathead.)

There’s obviously plenty of other stats that you can compare it to. But hitting a home run is obviously one of the most difficult things to do in sports–and how O’Neill’s Opening Day record stacks up amongst some of these other feats makes his all the more impressive.

I’m here to say that his is either the best or the worst, but it’s definitely one of the coolest and most unique. Both hitters and pitchers are still trying to find their rhythm at this time of year. Given the cool temperatures in most parks, the ball also won’t fly as far.

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The chicks dig the long ball, especially on Opening Day after months of anticipation. O’Neill finished the afternoon a perfect 3-for-3, which is definitely one way to make an impression on his new team. He’s always had power, he just hasn’t stayed healthy.

But one thing we all can hope for is for the 5-foot-10 outfielder to stay healthy for the next however many Opening Days so this super cool streak can potentially continue.

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