SARASOTA, Fla. -- One week from today will be Opening Day at Camden Yards. The Orioles will open the 2026 season with a matchup against the Twins, and Tyler O'Neill will enjoy what is typically one of his best days of the year.
O’Neill loves the pageantry and festivities as much as the next player. But that’s not what makes Opening Day particularly great for the 30-year-old outfielder.
At this point, O’Neill is practically “Mr. Opening Day.” Because he has hit a home run during his team’s opening game each of the past six years, an AL/NL record.
After tying the mark with the Cardinals in 2023, then breaking it with the Red Sox in ‘24, O’Neill called it “a little cherry on top” when the Canadian slugger homered in his O’s debut in Toronto in ‘25, pushing the streak to six. So, what would it be if he makes it seven years in a row next Thursday?
“It’s more icing on the cake,” O’Neill said with a smile.
This metaphorical dessert could become quite large, because O’Neill’s Opening Day home runs have become almost guaranteed. The record streak used to be four -- shared by Todd Hundley (1994-97), Gary Carter (1977-80) and Yogi Berra (1955-58) -- but O’Neill has blown past that.
Even since becoming the record holder, O’Neill has remained aware of it whenever he steps into the batter’s box on Opening Day.
“It’s an elephant in the room,” O’Neill said. “Pressure’s off, obviously. I don’t really have to prove anything in that regard. But yeah, it’s on my mind. Would it be great to push it to seven? Yeah. Of course, it would be. And if I get the opportunity to do that, great. But if not, no big deal.
“We’ve got 161 games to go after that. It’s just all about having a good time and being with the guys and not making more of it than it is.”
Minnesota will likely be sending right-hander Joe Ryan to the mound for the opener in Baltimore. O’Neill has faced Ryan only once before -- on Aug. 2, 2023, when O’Neill was playing for St. Louis -- but he went 1-for-2 with a solo home run against the righty.
Another Opening Day home run would be a good start for what O’Neill is hoping will be a bounce-back season. After signing a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Orioles prior to the 2025 campaign, he played only 54 games in his first year with the club due to three stints on the injured list. He also struggled when active, hitting .199 with nine homers and a .684 OPS.
But O’Neill has impressed this spring, going 7-for-11 (.636) with one double, one home run, three RBIs and a 1.692 OPS in five Grapefruit League games before leaving camp to play for Canada in the World Baseball Classic. When he returned, he hit a two-run single in the first inning of Sunday’s contest vs. the Yankees, which was eventually cancelled due to rain in the third.
O’Neill believes he’s in a better position to stay healthy, which will allow better results to come. He isn’t going to change his offensive mindset -- even when there’s the chance for him to extend his Opening Day homer streak.
“Just like any other game, I’m just going to try and go out and play my game, and whatever the result yields, it is what it is. That’s kind of always been my mentality heading into it,” O’Neill said. “Obviously, there’s some luck involved, and obviously, a lot of intent behind that luck, too, though. We’ll see what happens. I’m not changing my approach or anything in my game plan. Just trying to see a good pitch over the plate and execute a good swing on it.”
The 2025 season wasn’t only difficult for O’Neill, but for the Orioles as a whole, as they went 75-87 and finished in last place in the American League East. Baltimore has since overhauled its lineup by signing Pete Alonso and trading for Taylor Ward, and if O’Neill can return to form, the offense would be even deeper.
As Spring Training winds down, O’Neill feels ready to go and is raring to leave Sarasota for Baltimore, where the quest for a strong season will begin.
“I think we’re ready to get out of here,” O’Neill said. “Just ready to wear the in-season uniform and get with the group of guys that we’re going to be with and going to break with, and I think we’re all ready for it at this point.”