Tyler O’Neill makes his homecoming count
For the second year in a row, the Red Sox have two Canadians on the roster, with outfielder and Opening Day warlock Tyler O’Neill pairing with Nick Pivetta to fill the absence left by James Paxton. And in O’Neill’s case, since he grew up in the Canadian west, last night’s game against the Mariners was essentially a return home, with plenty of friends and family in tow. (Julian McWilliams, Boston Globe)
Ceddanne Rafaela grew up about as far from Seattle as it gets in the baseball playing world: Curacao. But his parents weren’t going to miss his first Opening Day. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
The trip to Seattle would have been something of a homecoming for Brennan Bernardino, too, as the reliever grew up on the west coast and previously played for the Mariners. But Bernardino, who was one of the bright spots in an effective bullpen last season, received a surprise demotion to Worcester to start the season. (Justin Turpin, WEEI)
But maybe Bernardino wouldn’t have wanted to be in uniform last night, anyway, since the general consensus is that the new uniforms designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics look like garbage. The general consensus is right: at the very least, MLB and/or the Red Sox need to make the name plates legible. (Nick O’Malley, MassLive)
Between Rafaela’s daring triple, Brayan Bello’s solid five innings, and Rafael Devers’ homer, it was a good night for the youth movement (yes, Devers still counts as a youth). (Tim Crowley, NESN)
Masataka Yoshida doesn’t count as part of the youth movement, but is a guy who can get better this year and be a big boost to the lineup. Alex Cora wants to see him hit .320. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
And now that Jordan Montgomery saga has reached its conclusion, the truth can finally come out: he just wasn’t that in to us. (Jon Heyman, NY Post)