Red Sox
The last time two Red Sox players had multiple back-to-back homers in one game was April 1994.
Rob Refsnyder and Tyler O’Neill were a dynamic duo in the heart of the Red Sox’ lineup on Monday night.
The pair teed off against the Orioles at Fenway Park — hitting back-to-back home runs on two separate occasions in the third and eighth innings en route to a 12-3 win over Baltimore.
The last time two Red Sox teammates hit back-to-back home runs multiple times in a game was on April 19, 1994 — when Mo Vaughn and Tim Naehring hit back-to-back homers in the second and sixth innings.
Refsnyder put together arguably the best game of his big-league career, with the 33-year-old veteran going 4-for-4 at the plate with his two homers, a double, walk, and a career-best five RBI while batting in the No. 3 spot.
O’Neill’s two-homer night (3-for-5, 3 RBI) gives him 29 big flies on the season, with his 29 homers tying him with Carl Everett for the fourth-most homers hit in a player’s first 100 games with the Red Sox.
O’Neill has developed a reputation for collecting his home runs in bunches this season, with the 29-year-old outfielder posting seven multi-homer games this season alone.
According to J.P. Long of the Red Sox, the only Boston players to record more multi-homer games in a single season are David Ortiz (nine games, 2005) and Jimmie Foxx (10 games, 1938).
O’Neill and Refsnyder began their home-run salvo in the third inning, with Refsnyder golfing a pitch into center field for a two-run shot before O’Neill promptly deposited an offering from Baltimore southpaw Cade Povich into the Monster Seats.
The duo were at once again in the eighth inning, with Refsnyder’s second home run of the evening wrapping around Pesky’s Pole before O’Neill crushed a pitch 422 feet into left-center field to cap off the scoring for Boston.
The Red Sox’ bats put together their best showing in weeks, with the 12 runs standing as the most Boston has scored since Aug. 16.
A dependable bench contributor who has developed a knack for capitalizing against left-handed pitching, Refsnyder has showcased plenty of pop this season. After hitting nine home runs over 212 total games from 2020-23, Refsnyder now has 10 home runs in 90 games in 2024.
While the odds aren’t exactly in Boston’s favor when it comes to making a late push for the postseason, the Red Sox now sit just three games behind the Twins for the third and final wild-card spot in the American League.
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