Did Tyler O'Neill just save the Red Sox' season?
In the days leading up to the trade deadline Tyler O'Neill made it perfectly clear what his motivation was heading into the next few months.
"I want to see what Boston is like in the postseason," he said. "I want to see what that looks like. I have seen it on TV, but I want to feel what it looks like. I think we have a really good shot at that."
Wednesday night, O'Neill did his part in keeping that dream alive.
The outfielder supplied the Red Sox with their first walk-off home run of the season - launching a 393-foot three-run homer at an exit velocity of 107.5 mph to seal the Sox' 5-3, 10-inning victory over the Orioles.
In the process, O'Neill also claimed his 30th homer of the year, giving him five home runs in the last five games. And adding to the power picture for the righty hitter was the fact that 14 of his last 30 hits have been homers.
There was something else: He might have just saved the Red Sox' season.
While such a proclamation might seem a bit dramatic considering there is still 16 games to go, the reality of the Red Sox' situation suggests desperation lived in that 10th inning. If O'Neill doesn't go deep with Romy Gonzalez at first base and Jarren Duran at home - eliminating the O's one-run lead - the idea of Boston heading to the Bronx with realistic postseason optimism might have been far-fetched.
But O'Neill did hit that home run. And the Red Sox are still in the Wild Card conversation.
Alex Cora's club remains four games in back of the Twins for the final Wild Card spot, and one in back of the Tigers.
"We obviously needed this one," Cora noted. "Hopefully it's the beginning of something big."
Make no mistake about it, this is still an uphill battle for the Red Sox.
While the Sox are trying to stay afloat with four games against the Yankees, the Twins have the luxury of hosting a less-than-spectacular Reds club. There is also the prospect of keeping pace with Detroit, which is 13-5 since Aug. 23 and owns the first tie-breaker against the Red Sox.
For now, however, the Red Sox can still feel like scoreboard-watching is a worthwhile endeavor. Without O'Neill's homer? It simply wouldn't have been the same.
