Burnaby's Tyler O'Neill continued his opening day dominance during the first day of the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) season.
With the St. Louis Cardinals trailing the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 in the bottom of the third inning, O'Neill sent a first pitch from Alek Manoah over the wall in right centre field to to bring the Cardinals within one.
His first home run of 2023 campaign was the fourth consecutive time O'Neill has homered on opening day, becoming only the fourth player in history to do so.
O'Neill, who was born in Burnaby but raised in Maple Ridge, joins a list that includes Yogi Berra, Gary Carter and Todd Hundley.
"Congratulations to Burnaby's own Tyler O'Neill, who can't seem to miss on #OpeningDay," Mayor Mike Hurley wrote on Twitter.
In 96 games last season, O'Neill finished with a .228 average, hitting 14 home runs while recording 58 RBIs.
The 27-year-old also recently represented Canada at the 2023 World Baseball Classic where he had eight hits, four RBIs and a .615 batting average.
O'Neill was originally selected by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the 2013 MLB Draft (overall pick number 85).
He made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on April 19, 2018.
