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Knicks Put Celtics in Place

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BOSTON – (Wire Service and Staff Report) – Jalen Brunson tossed in a game-high 39 points to help the visiting New York Knicks extend their winning streak to three games by beating the Boston Celtics 118-109 Thursday.

Brunson scored six points in the first quarter, 12 in the second and had 21 in the third. He made 15 of his 23 field goal attempts, including 6-of-11 3-point shots from behind the 3-point arc.

New York (48-32) remained in third place in the Eastern Conference standings, one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks (49-31). The Celtics (62-18), who have lost two straight, had previously secured the No. 1 seed in the East.

Donte DiVincenzo added 17 for the Knicks, who got 16 points and 16 rebounds from Josh Hart. Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

Jayson Tatum led Boston with 18 points and seven assists. Boston received 15 points from Jaylen Brown and 14 points and eight rebounds from Kristaps Porzingis.

It was the fifth and final regular-season meeting this season. Boston won the first four.

The Knicks led 32-29 after one quarter and outscored the Celtics 37-19 in the second to take a 69-48 halftime lead. Boston trailed 47-45, but New York took control with a 17-0 run and was up 64-45 following a Brunson 3-pointer with 2:18 remaining in the half. The Knicks scored 25 of the final 30 points in the first half.

New York had a 32-17 rebounding advantage through the first two quarters, including a 12-3 edge at the offensive end. Brunson, who has scored at least 30 points in each of his last six games, led all scorers with 18 points in the half.

The Knicks were up 90-71 after the third quarter and had a 31-point lead in the fourth. Boston rested its starters in the final quarter.

New York held a 52-36 edge in rebounds.

–Field Level Media

Orioles Pound Sox in 10th Inning

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser each homered during the six-run 10th inning that lifted the Orioles to a 9-4 win over the host Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.

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Cowser went 3-for-5 with two homers, a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. The Orioles hit four homers during their nine-hit attack. He drove in 10 runs in the three-game series sweep.

Henderson and Anthony Santander also drove in two runs apiece.

Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu each had two hits and an RBI for the Red Sox.

In the eighth inning with Boston clinging to a 2-1 lead, Red Sox shortstop David Hamilton missed touching second on a would-be double-play grounder by Adley Rutschman. The Orioles took advantage of the miscue as Santander hit a two-run, go-ahead homer down the right-field line.

Pinch-hitter Connor Wong hit a game-tying, two-out homer to deep left-center off Danny Coulombe in the bottom of the eighth.

Boston closer Kenley Jansen retired the final two batters in the ninth and Baltimore counterpart Craig Kimbrel (2-0) threw a scoreless ninth to force extra innings.

Henderson hit a two-run shot off Red Sox reliever Isaiah Campbell (0-1) to give the Orioles a 5-3 lead. Campbell retired the next two batters, but Ryan O’Hearn hit a double and Ryan Mountcastle walked. Cedric Mullins followed with an RBI single to center and Cowser cleared the bases with a three-run shot to center to give Baltimore a 9-3 lead.

Duran got Boston a run back on a leadoff double in the last of the 10th.

–Field Level Media

Orioles Come From Behind, Beat Sox 7-5

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jordan Westburg hit a 432-foot drive to center field to cap a four-run seventh inning and give the O’s a 7-5 come-from-behind victory over the Red Sox. Boston led 5-0 after the fifth inning but fell victim to a poor bullpen performances which cost the Red Sox the game.

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RHP Chris Martin allowed the Westburg homer after walking a batter, throwing a wild pitch and falling victim to a catcher’s interference call on Connor Wong.

After providing Boston with the 5-0 lead, Baltimore cut down the lead by striking back with three runs in the visiting half of the six. Boston’s right-hander Isaiah Campbell relieved starter Kutter Crawford after Crawford pitched an impressive two-hitter with six strike-outs in five innings. Crawford left after throwing 86 pitches (50 strikes).

Boston made it 3-0 in the home half of the fourth inning when Wong stroked an opposite field base hit to right, scoring Tristan Casas from third and Romy Gonzalez from second base. Each player had singled to start the rally.

Crawford pitched himself into another jam in the fifth inning, hitting lead-off batter Westburg, walking Gunnar Henderson and allowing slugger Anthony Santander to reach base on an infield hit. Crawford retired DH Ryan O’Hearn on a ground out to first and the Orioles left three men on base for the second straight inning.

Casas had hit an opposite field two-run home run into the second row of the left field Green Monster seats at Fenway Park to open-up a five run lead for Boston in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Sox proceeded to let up seven unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

Earlier, Baltimore was able to load the bases  on two Crawford walks in the fourth inning, but a well thrown, off speed splitter to hot-hitting Baltimore LF Colton Cowser ended the fourth inning with the score 1-0, Boston.

Starting pitchers Cole Irvin of Baltimore and Crawford of Boston breezed through their first two innings, Irvin benefitting from two double plays executed nicely by the Orioles infield. The Red Sox, however, scratched out a run in the home half of the third inning when Tyler O’Neill’s bloop single landed safely over Baltimore rookie Jackson Holliday‘s outstretched glove in right-center field, scoring Sox speedy lead-off man  Jarren Duran all the way from first base.

Baltimore’s closer, former Red Sox bullpen star, Craig Kimbrel struck-out two Sox pinch hitters in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win for Baltimore with his second save of the young season.

The final game of the three-game of the series will be played Thursday night.

Injury Just Another Story

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Tuesday.

Story initially was diagnosed with a dislocated left shoulder in an 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday after he dove to make a play.

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Story was seen Monday by Dr. Evan O’Donnell, a shoulder specialist, in Boston, and manager Alex Cora said Tuesday before his team’s home opener against the Baltimore Orioles that the news wasn’t positive. He said there was “concern with the bone structure.”

Breslow told reporters Story had been diagnosed with a fractured glenoid in his left shoulder and would need surgery, with a recovery time of six months.

Also Tuesday, the Red Sox placed right-hander Nick Pivetta (right elbow flexor strain) on the 15-day injured list.

In 745 games with the Rockies, he hit .272 with 158 home runs, 450 RBIs and 100 stolen bases.

Pivetta’s placement on the injured list was retroactive to Saturday. He most recently pitched Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics, throwing five scoreless innings and getting the win. Pivetta, 31, is 1-1 with a 0.82 ERA.

In his career with the Philadelphia Phillies (2017-20) and Red Sox, Pivetta is 51-60 with a 4.81 ERA in 198 games (154 starts).

The Red Sox recalled left-hander Brennan Bernardino from Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move.

Bernardino, 32, is 2-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 57 major league games (six starts) with the Seattle Mariners (2022) and Red Sox (2023).

–Field Level Media

Orioles Spoil Sox Home Opener

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – The usual joy of Opening Day at Fenway Park took on a somber mood this year as the club paid tribute to fan favorite Tim Wakefield and his wife, Stacy, along with longtime baseball man and former Red Sox team president and Chief Executive Officer Larry Lucchino – all who passed away in the MLB off-season.

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Instead of upbeat music and crowd pleasing engagement to pay tribute to the 2004 “Reverse the Curse” World Champion Red Sox, the Sox opted for an well-edited video cut to the epically long Don MacLean hit of the 1971 song, “American Pie.”

Spirits were lifted when Wakefield’s 19 year old daughter, Brianna, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to 2004 catcher Jason Varitek, a close friend of her father.

There was barely a dry eye in the house, but it was time for baseball in Boston and the sellout crowd of 36,093 rallied on a 57-degree , sunny, gorgeous New England day. but one when the Red Sox bats could not be ignited.

Baltimore ace Corbin Burnes pitched 7.0 innings, allowing only one run on two hits. He struck out six Boston batters and walked only two, tossing 90 pitches and 58 strikes. Burnes earned his second win of the season against no losses.

The Red Sox moved the ancient Green Monster scoreboard keepers first when the second-most popular O’Neill in town, newly acquired Tyler, hit a 2-2 pitch 413-feet to record his sixth home run of the young MLB season and spot the home team a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Only former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, had a better start to his career in Boston. (O’Neill won the Congressional seat vacated by John F. Kennedy upon his election to be President of the United States).

The baseball-playing O’Neill came into the day as the American League leader in Home Runs, On Base Percentage, Slugging, OPS, and Runs scored. He was third in the AL in Batting Average with a .357 mark.

Baltimore struck back in the top of the second inning when LF Colton Cowser doubled-in CF Cedric Mullins after Mullins reached on a Bello issued walk and then stole second base. Baltimore made it 3-1 in the visiting half of the fourth inning when 1B Ryan Mountcastle singled, Mullins reached second base on an error by Boston LF Jarren Duran (ball lost in the sun), and Cowser doubled to left-center field to score both runners on unearned runs.

Boston starter, Brayan Bello, was lifted in the sixth inning after his 5.1 innings of work, tossing 89 pitches and 58 strikes. He let up only four hits but they resulted in three runs with only one earned. Bello is (1-1) on the year.

The Orioles added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning when SS Gunnar Henderson rifled a line drive down the right field line for a double. Henderson stole third base and scored on a C Adley Rutchman single up the middle off Boston reliever Josh Winckowski.

The score went to 5-1 in the top half of the eighth When Cowser hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Ryan O’Hearn. The O’s added two more in the top of the ninth when they had the bases loaded with no outs as they sent eight batters to the plate with Henderson and Rutschman scoring additional insurance runs.

The Sox went down in the ninth without an effort. Rafael Devers, hitless on the day fouled out to third, while O’Neill struck out swinging and Triston Casas grounded out to Jacob Webb who came in for relief in a non-save situation.

 

The Sun Shines Again at Fenway

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Last season, they finished with four road games, a 2-2 split with the AL East champion Baltimore Orioles. At Fenway, the Red Sox lost their last four games of the season. They finished 78-84 and in last place in the Orioles’ division. It wasn’t pretty.

This year, a challenging 10-game road trip with four at Seattle, three at Oakland and three at the LA Angels of Anaheim put doubt in the minds of the Fenway faithful. Might they head home with a record 2-8 or 3-7 and be back in the basement?

No.

The Boston Red Sox play their home opener today boasting a 7-3 record, including a split at Seattle, a sweep at (lowly/sad) Oakland and a series-winning 2-games-to-1 edge over the Angels in the outfield. That’s good enough for second place in the early-season ladder, but 1.5 behind a New York Yankees team built for October.

It is ridiculous to expect this Red Sox team to stay at a .700 percent win rate. The pace would translate to 113.4 wins in the 162-game season. Of course, the schedule would need to place the Oakland A’s as the Sox opponent for three of every 10 games, and the Sox’ 50-24 (+26) run differential would be required to win at such a clip.

What’s a more reasonable expectation (prediction) for the 2024 Boston Red Sox?

Let’s concentrate on the whopping 35 games to measure the gap between a 78-win last place finish and an absurd 113-game season. If the Red Sox can go .500 in those 35 games, they’d finish the season with 95 wins.

Last season, the Toronto Blue Jays qualified for the last AL Wild card spot with 89 victories while the Tampa Bay Rays topped the Wild Card race with 99 wins. In the NL, Arizona’s 84 wins were enough to punch a ticket to the Wild Card and that berth led them to the 2023 World Series when they lost to the Texas Rangers in six games.

As Celtics’ great Kevin Garnett might predict, “If you can make it to the Wild Card, ‘ANYTHING is POSSIBLE.'”

What will it take for a team – more often than not – picked to finish in the AL East cellar to win some 90-plus games?

Pitching.

And, staying healthy.

On the pitching: Heading into the home opener, Boston leads the Majors with a 1.49 ERA (15 ER/90.1 IP), the club’s lowest mark through 10 games in the Live-Ball Era (since 1920). The Red Sox are the 11th team in the Live-Ball Era to post an ERA below 1.50 through their first 10 games, and the first since the star-studded 2005 Florida Marlins.

That’s pretty good.

On the injury front: Not so great. The Red Sox lost starting shortstop Trevor Story, their No. 3 hitter, to an injured shoulder. Diagnosed as a dislocated shoulder some 24 hours after the injury, which occurred when Story dove for a Mike Trout ground ball towards center field, the Boston-area medical staff has not determined the prognosis for the long term. While the Sox placed Story on the 10-game injured list, there’s a chance he’s out for the year, according to the Boston Globe.

Aside from the devastating news on Story, the Sox are also missing outfielder Rob Refsnyder (toe) and infielder and highly regarded prospect, Vaughn Grissom (hamstring/groin injury).

Injuries are a part of the game, but the 2024 MLB season seems to be taking that fact to a new high. Dozens of top-notch players – league wide – are already banged up, including All-Star/Cy Young award candidates like Spencer Strider of the Atlanta Braves or Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber who will miss the entire 2024 season as he plans to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Those are the issues that make judging an entire season somewhat useless after only 10 games. But, let’s compare notes after the Red Sox open under a bright blue sky today and start a 10-game homestand. Might they be 14-6?

Or better?

Or worse?

 

 

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Madness

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Here we are right inside the belly of the BIG EAST, the NCAA East Regional where the University of Connecticut is playing NBA-style basketball while everyone else is trying out for the 5th Grade CYO team. This isn’t the “Chess vs Checkers” thing, it’s more like real NASA Rocket Science compared to Freshman Biology and first-time users of a Bunson Burner.

UConn doesn’t bring a machete to a knife fight, they bring vice grips. UConn is so good, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown couldn’t find a flaw during a three-hour practice. If they’re down four points, they stay the course like a George W. Bush Rose Garden speech. The four point deficit soon becomes a two point lead, then six, then eight, then 12 – and here in Boston – then 30!

Dan Hurley, the son of a Hall of Fame coach (Bob Hurley, Sr. of St. Anthony’s High School in north Jersey), calls time out and applies the vice grip strategy, adjusts the after-burners and senior guard Cam Spencer takes it from there. If Spencer isn’t ready to score, or he’s closely guarded, the screens are set to perfection and the ball goes into 7-foot-2 sophomore center Donovan Clingan. If that doesn’t work or if the bigman is in foul trouble, UConn goes to their best scorer and shooter, in 6-foot-5 senior guard Tristan Newton.

Pick your poison. Fast.

“This is as dominant as a team can be,” said former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy after UConn went on a relentless second half run at TD Garden.

Let’s count the way: The score was tied at 23-all with 1:51 remaining in the first half. It was 26-23 in favor of UConn at the half.

The next time Illinois scored, the clock read 12:39 remaining in the game and the score was FIFTY THREE to 25. That was a 30-to-two run from that 1:51 mark for you math majors out there.

The final score was 77-52, after Hurley cleared the bench in the waning moments of the biggest ass-kicking we’ve seen since Mike Tyson knocked out Michael Spinks (91 seconds) in 1988.

Aside from the obvious talent and depth, and the fact UConn is very well coached and in condition, the Huskies don’t panic. In any game, never mind Saturday night’s clinic. Close game at the half? To start the second half, they adjust. Then, they play like champions – which they are, of course, as they try to become the first college basketball team to repeat since the Al Horford/Joakim Noah era Florida Gators, coached by another diminutive point guard in Billy Donovan, the Rick Pitino-schooled three-point maven from Providence College.

What did yet another Hall of Famer, Rudy T, say about champions?

“Don’t EVER underestimate the heart of a champion.”

Aside from Lew Alcindor/KAJ’s UCLA teams, Bill Walton’s UCLA teams and the last of the undefeated (30-0) Indiana team of Kent Benson-Quinn Buckner fame, college basketball hasn’t seen anything like this UConn team.

Since it’s Elite 8 time this weekend, it’s not prudent (again quoting a Bush family President?) to predict what will happen when the Final Four convenes in Glendale, Arizona with the exception that No. 1 overall seed Connecticut will be the team to beat, the favorites and the only school in the building with 13 pairs of vice grips, one for Coach Hurley and the others for 12 talented, disciplined players who rolled through the BIG EAST and should shine again when their shining moment comes in the Valley of the Sun.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: On the women’s side of NCAA Basketball Bracketville, there’s an equally talented UConn team but the incredible parity of the high-level women’s tournament makes it impossible to predict.

That’s good.

Call it the way you see it – Is coach Dawn Staley’s South Carolina team ready to accept another crown (adding to 2017 and 2022)? SC will play upstart Oregon State (today/Sunday) at 1:00pm EDT on ABC.

LSU will face Iowa State in a battle of the two most publicized women’s teams, with LSU defending their 2023 NCAA championship against a team they defeated in the Final Four (final game), 102-85, last April 2nd.

Texas will face NC State and a half-a-handful of others will compete this weekend for the right to survive and move on.

All good, right?

Nope.

We’ve got one coach – an odd one, bedazzled in her sequined Purple, Gold and whatever other colors are in the Louisiana State sky – who thinks she’s above the rest of us. She used the pulpit of an NCAA postgame interview room setting to call out a journalist from the Washington Post. In doing so, she called more attention to a story (posted Saturday) than anything published by any outlet that’s ever written a word about women’s basketball.

The coach (LSU’s Ms. Kim Mulkey) threatened lawsuits against a story she hadn’t yet seen/read because it hadn’t even been published at the time of her attempted preemptive strike – let’s call it a rant – in front of a captive audience of media trying to cover a simple basketball game.

Coach Mulkey is supposedly an educator of young minds. The administrators of Louisiana State University pay her good money and place a lot of athletes, basketball players and non-athlete students in her care and oversight.

?But, face facts, no Ph D, no administrator, no parent of a college student should allow Ms. Mulkey anywhere near their schools or kids. In addition, the Journalism Department at LSU should be calling for her dismissal. Mulkey’s actions were selfish and disruptive, and they show no respect for the Journalism Industry or the game of basketball.

Instead of wrapping a fish in a story she didn’t want to see written, Mulkey has taken the “Circle the Wagons” approach to attempt to galvanize her team in the “Us vs The World” style of B.S. coaching. After the Washington Post story dropped (in essence it sounded like a feather hitting a mattress), Mulkey decided to double-down and criticize the Los Angeles Times. The next thing you know, she’ll complain that one of her assistant coaches was booed at a “Hamilton the Musical” production or claim the final score of one of her games was rigged by machines.

It’s that bad.

Mulkey has ruined the 2024 Women’s NCAA Basketball season, a year that held such promise for the women’s game and the overall future of the sport.

IT’S BASEBALL SEASON: Next week’s column will dig-in deep before the Red Sox home opener (April 9) while we also get ready for the April 15th Boston Marathon, but today – How about some very basic MLB predictions?

In the National League, there are two very obvious favorites in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. In the American League, the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and defending ‘23 MLB Champion Texas Rangers get the nod as the regular season begins.

It’s reasonable to wonder if the ‘23 World Series runner-up Arizona Diamondbacks can repeat their magic from last October.

LA Dodgers over the Houston Astros in the 2024 World Series is the call, here.

Can the column seek another opinion, please?

STRAT AGEE: Our friends at Strat-O-Matic made their annual simulation/prediction for the upcoming season and the Braves came out as MLB champions.

Strat-O-Matic, a longtime leader in sports simulation games, simulated the ‘24 MLB regular season and post season, predicting Atlanta as the winner of 99 regular season games and later celebrating the franchise’s third World Series title since relocating from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Georgia. The Braves needed only five games to take down American League pennant winner Houston in the simulated baseball championship.

Strat-O-Matic’s overall simulation had the Braves winning the NL East by seven games over the Philadelphia Phillies, and joining Central champ Chicago Cubs (90-72) and West winner Los Angeles Dodgers (99-63) as division winners.

Arizona (97-65), Philadelphia (92-70) and San Diego (84-78) claimed the wild card spots, with the Braves taking out the Dodgers in a sweep in the NLCS after dispatching the Cubs in three straight in the NLDS.

In the AL, Houston (102-60) set the big league’s best mark, backing it up by edging wild card Tampa Bay (90-72) in the ALDS and sweeping Minnesota (96-66) in the ALCS. The Twins, Central Division winners, had upended No. 2 seeded New York (99-63) to advance through the ALDS. Texas (91-71) and Cleveland (86-76) were the other AL wild card winners.

MAJOR LEAGUE’S “MAJOR AWARD” WINNERS: Strat-O-Matic also took a crack at predicting the best players in the Big Leagues.

In the American League it was New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, whose 48 home runs and 113 RBI to go with a .962 OPS earned MVP honors, while Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez turned in an impressive 20-8 mark with 3.15 ERA and 235 strikeouts to win the Cy Young Award.

In the NL, Mookie Betts’ work in the LA infield made him an even more integral part of the Dodgers, enough to earn his second MVP with a .281 average, .945 OPS, 40 home runs and 118 RBI. To no one’s surprise, Atlanta’s Spencer Strider breaks through for his first Cy Young Award, posting a 20-5 record and stellar 2.79 ERA with 260 whiffs.

Bruins Clinch Stanley Cup Playoffs Berth

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Bruins clinched an eighth consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs while sitting idle on Thursday. When the Bruins (42-17-15, 99 points) return to the ice for a Saturday road game against the Washington Capitals, it will be all about getting back to business and continuing to build toward their top game.

The results were split during the Florida portion of an ongoing six-game road trip. Boston, which has lost three of four, beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 on Tuesday but lost 3-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

“(Tuesday) night, there was a lot of emotion in that game. There was a lot of physical — the physical product also contributes,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “You win a big game like that, we’re sky high, and then we gotta come back and we gotta play an elite team in the league again. It’s a hard schedule.”

The Bruins have been off since, but the challenge remains against the Capitals (36-27-9, 81 points), who hold the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Boston’s power play has been one recent Achilles’ heel, clicking at just 1-for-11 over its last four games. Trent Frederic scored the only goal during that stretch, tying the score against Florida.

“It’s hard when your (power play) doesn’t go your way, so you start to lose confidence pretty quickly,” Bruins forward and leading scorer David Pastrnak said. “We’ve got eight games left and we need to make sure we get the (power play) back to where it used to be. We are a good power-play unit, so time is running out and we have to be better.”

Danton Heinen scored the Bruins’ lone goal against Tampa Bay.

Washington, meanwhile, had a three-game win streak snapped in a 5-1 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. The Capitals were outshot 48-24 and got a lone goal from Nic Dowd.

With playoff time approaching, Washington coach Spencer Carbery was a bit concerned after his team’s loss against a high-octane offensive team — similar to the Bruins.

“From the start of the game, you could feel that our group was overwhelmed early on, just with the speed, the way things were happening,” Carbery said. “You could see a bunch of puck touches where we bobble it. We were fighting it early, and it was just too quick for us.”

Despite being positioned for the final playoff spot in the East, the Capitals have a minus-30 goal differential this season and will need to stick to their identity to have an extended stay come late April and beyond.

“We’re not a team that can play without guys getting the puck and moving their feet,” Washington forward T.J. Oshie said. “We’re not a team that can have success if we’re not keeping things simple and moving the puck quickly. And we’re certainly not a team that can turn pucks over in the neutral zone.”

Washington won 3-0 on the road against Boston on Feb. 10 in the only prior meeting between the teams this season. The win ended the Capitals’ six-game skid at the time. Charlie Lindgren needed to make only 18 saves.

–Field Level Media

O’ Neill Blasts Way to Record

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SEATTLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Tyler O’Neill is unlikely to forget his debut in a Red Sox uniform. O’Neill set a major league record by homering for a fifth consecutive Opening Day as the Red Sox defeated the host Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Thursday.

The teams will continue their four-game series on tonight.

“I don’t know, it’s just something about the routine on Opening Day,” O’Neill said on the NESN postgame show. “You just want to kick-start the season.”

The moment was made more special because O’Neill is a native of Burnaby, British Columbia, and he estimated about 20 family members and friends made the three-hour drive south across the Canadian border for the game.

“We’ve got a lot of tickets this week,” O’Neill told the Boston Globe before the game. “So, yeah, I’m going to say a lot of ‘hellos.’

“It’s a good enough effort for them to get down here and I appreciate all the support and stuff. Having all my family here and some buddies who are from back home is always good.”

In 2013, O’Neill was drafted in the third round by the Mariners but never reached the majors with them. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in July 2017 for left-hander Marco Gonzales.

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He homered the previous four Opening Days for the Cardinals, matching the record set by Yogi Berra (1955-58) and equaled by Gary Carter (1977-80) and Todd Hundley (1994-97). O’Neill socked a solo shot for the Red Sox in the eighth inning on Thursday.

Boston’s Rafael Devers hit a two-run homer in the third to open the scoring.

“He was able to drive the ball to left-center, something that he wasn’t able to do last year,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Devers. “That homer was impressive.”

Right-hander Brayan Bello, signed to a six-year, $55 million extension in the offseason after just 1 1/2 years in the majors, pitched five solid innings for the win.

“They got some hits with two outs, RBI hits, and those are huge. They’re difference-makers,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “Not the way we wanted to start. We have a lot of games to go. We have a good team.”

Mitch Haniger and Dylan Moore hit two-run homers for the Mariners.

Haniger, a former All-Star who had career highs of 39 homers and 100 RBIs with the Mariners in 2021, returned to Seattle in an offseason trade with San Francisco after one injury-plagued season with the Giants.

“I’ve been doing a lot of work on mechanics this offseason,” Haniger said. “It’s good to be back in a Mariners uniform. Really glad they brought me back. It felt like home.”

Servais was impressed by Haniger’s opposite-field homer.

“I think just having him with our uniform on is going to springboard him,” Servais said. “I haven’t seen him hit one to right like that for a while. Normally he’s pull side.”

Friday’s game will feature a matchup of right-handers, Boston’s Nick Pivetta (10-9, 4.04 last year) and Seattle’s George Kirby (13-10, 3.35).

Pivetta is 1-1 with a 4.34 ERA in three career starts against the M’s. Kirby is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four starts vs. Boston.

–Field Level Media

NCAA March Madness: Sweet 16

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Grant Nelson scored fourth-seeded Alabama’s final five points, including a three-point play with 38 seconds left that put the Crimson Tide ahead for good in a 89-87 win over top-seeded North Carolina on Thursday in an NCAA Tournament West Region semifinal in LA.

Alabama (24-11) rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit, holding North Carolina to seven points through the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Crimson Tide’s defensive effort to open the second half produced a back-and-forth final stretch in a contest that featured 13 ties and 12 lead changes.

Nelson put up a game-high 24 points for the Crimson Tide, who advance to face sixth-seeded Clemson on Saturday in the regional final. Aaron Estrada and Rylan Griffen each scored 19 points.

Armando Bacot led North Carolina (29-8) with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Cormac Ryan scored 17 points, and RJ Davis had 16 points and seven assists.

West Region

No. 6 Clemson 77, No. 2 Arizona 72

Chase Hunter’s and-one play with 25.7 seconds remaining capped his game-high-matching 18-point performance, and the Tigers held off the Wildcats to earn their first trip to the Elite Eight since 1980 in Los Angeles.

Clemson (24-11) led nearly wire-to-wire behind the play of Hunter — who also had seven rebounds and five assists — and PJ Hall, who scored 17 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Ian Schieffelin added 14 points, including some pivotal baskets in the second half, and snared seven rebounds.

Caleb Love, who scored 13 points, went 0-of-9 from beyond the arc for Arizona (27-9). He shot 5-of-18 from the floor overall. Oumar Ballo finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds but was just 1-of-7 at the foul line. Keshad Johnson grabbed 11 rebounds to go with six points.

East Region

No. 1 UConn 82, No. 5 San Diego State 52

Cam Spencer scored a team-high 18 points and the Huskies dominated the offensive glass to beat the Aztecs in a meeting of East Region teams in the Sweet 16.

Spencer added five rebounds for the Huskies (34-3), who grabbed 21 offensive boards that led to 12 second-chance points. Tristen Newton chipped in 17 points and seven rebounds, and Stephon Castle supplied 16 and 11, respectively, as UConn became the first defending champion to reach the Elite Eight since Florida in 2007.

The Huskies downed the Aztecs 76-59 in last year’s national championship game. Jaedon LeDee paced San Diego State (26-11) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Micah Parrish had 10 points as the Aztecs’ only other scorer in double figures. San Diego State was outshot 46.2 percent to 36.2 percent from the field.

No. 3 Illinois 72, No. 2 Iowa State 69

Terrence Shannon Jr. poured in 29 points and the Illini held off a second-half rally to earn a victory over the Cyclones.

The Fighting Illini will face No. 1 seed UConn in the Elite Eight on Saturday. Coleman Hawkins chipped in 12 points and six rebounds for the Fighting Illini (29-8), who outshot Iowa State 42.1 percent to 39.7 percent.

Curtis Jones paced Iowa State (29-8) with 26 points. Keshon Gilbert supplied 14, and Tre King had 12 to go along with seven boards.

–Field Level Media