Tyler O'Neill homers for record-setting 5th straight opening day as Red Sox top Mariners 6-4

SEATTLE (AP) — Tyler O’Neill set some unlikely baseball history on opening day in the stadium he visited almost yearly as a kid growing up in British Columbia. And it came against the team that drafted him more than a decade ago.

“Baseball is a funny game,” O'Neill said. “It brings everything home like that.”

O'Neill homered in his fifth straight opening day game to set a major league record and helped the Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Thursday night.

Rafael Devers homered and doubled off Seattle ace Luis Castillo, but it was O’Neill’s homer on the first pitch from Cody Bolton in the eighth inning that gave the Red Sox a 6-4 lead and made history.

O’Neill homered the previous four opening days with St. Louis, tying him with Todd Hundley (1994-97), Gary Carter (1977-80) and Yogi Berra (1955-58). He was a top prospect in the Mariners organization before being traded to St. Louis in 2017.

And it came in front of a large contingent of family and friends from British Columbia who made the trip down to see O'Neill's first game in a Red Sox uniform.

“You always want to kick the season off with a bang,” O'Neill said. “Fortunately, I've been able to do it a couple times in row now. Just having a lot of fun out there.”

The homers and some solid pitching helped Boston manager Alex Cora enjoy his first opening day win as a manager.

Devers hit an opposite-field two-run homer on an elevated fastball from Castillo in the third inning and his one-out double in the fifth helped lead to another run for Boston. Connor Wong added a two-out RBI single in the sixth on a pitch well off the plate.

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

Boston starter Brayan Bello (1-0) pitched five innings and limited the damage to Mitch Haniger’s two-run homer after he spent last season with San Francisco. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for the save after recording 29 last season for Boston.

Dylan Moore's pinch-hit, two run homer in the seventh inning pulled Seattle within 5-4, but that’s as close as Seattle would get. Two of Seattle’s big offseason additions, Jorge Polanco and Mitch Garver, both experienced some of the frustration that comes with playing at home early in the season. Each hit deep fly balls that likely would have been homers in their former parks, but instead became outs.

“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.”

Castillo (0-1) labored through five innings as his control got away from him at times, missing with a number of borderline pitches. Castillo, who needed 91 pitches to get through the fifth, gave up four runs and six hits.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: RHP Liam Hendriks was placed on the 60-day IL as he continues recovery from Tommy John surgery. ... LHP Chris Murphy was also played on the 60-day IL with a UCL sprain. ... RHP Bryan Mata (hamstring) was placed on the 15-day IL. ... IF Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) and OF Rob Refsnyder (toe) were placed on the 10-day IL.

Mariners: IF/OF Sam Haggerty (undisclosed medical procedure) was placed on the 10-day injured list to begin the season. ... RHPs Matt Brash (elbow strain), Bryan Woo (elbow inflammation), Gregory Santos (lat strain) and Eduardo Bazardo (rotator cuff strain) were placed on the 15-day IL. ... Veteran IF Brian Anderson was released, but agreed to a minor-league contract and was assigned to Triple-A Tacoma.

UP NEXT

A pair of right-handers will face off as Nick Pivetta starts for Boston while George Kirby takes the hill for Seattle.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez runs the base path after hitting a double as Boston Red Sox second baseman Enmanuel Valdez waits for the throw to the infield during the first inning of an opening day baseball game, Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo throws against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of an opening day baseball game, Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of an opening day baseball game, Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Mitch Haniger gets a standing ovation from fans as he approaches the plate to bat against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning of an opening-day baseball game Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers, right, celebrates his two-run home run with Enmanuel Valdez, left, next to Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh during the third inning of an opening-day baseball game Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Jorge Polanco, left, reacts to hitting a single, next to Boston Red Sox second baseman Enmanuel Valdez during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez reacts to hitting a double against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers is greeted in the dugout after his two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning of an opening-day baseball game Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers gestures while running the bases on a two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning of an opening-day baseball game Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Boston Red Sox's Tyler O'Neill nears home after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning of an opening-day baseball game Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

The sexy tennis drama “ Challengers ” won the box office this weekend with $15 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino's original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Ticket sales from large format screens, including IMAX, made up about 40% of the opening weekend grosses. According to PostTrak exit poll reported by Deadline, 55% of audiences said they went to see the film because of Zendaya. In fact, this weekend, Zendaya movies accounted for around 26% of the overall box office with the re-release of “ Dune: Part Two ” in IMAX.

The 27-year-old actor has been part of some of the most successful franchises of the last few years, including the “Spider-Man” and “Dune” movies. In both cases those were supporting roles in massive brand-name properties, but her eye-catching red carpet looks also often make headlines. “Challengers” would be the first real test of her ability to “open” a film on her own star and MGM and Amazon were not going to risk doing it without her.

The studio had originally planned to release “Challengers” in the fall of 2023, with a picturesque launch at the Venice Film Festival. But when the actors went on strike last July, the studio made the decision to scuttle the festival premiere and move the film to this weekend when they could safely assume the strike would be resolved. Zendaya sported many tennis-themed looks, styled by Law Roach, for her appearances.

Reviews have been largely positive for the R-rated movie, which teases a steamy and competitive love triangle between the tennis players. It currently has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and got a B+ CinemaScore from opening day audiences. Women made up 58% of ticket buyers, who also skewed younger overall: 41% were between the ages of 18 and 24.

Guadagnino’s last film “ Bones and All,” starring Zendaya’s “Dune” co-star Timothée Chalamet made $15.2 million in its entire run. By mid-week, “Challengers” expected to surpass “Call Me By Your Name” ($18 million) to become Guadagnino's highest grossing film.

For Amazon MGM Studios, the value also extends beyond the box office driving a “downstream value” for Amazon, including when “Challengers” eventually makes its way to Prime Video.

Second place went to the faith-based film “Unsung Hero,” which made an estimated $7.8 million from 2,832 locations. It’s based on the true story of the Smallbone family, and the rise of their children Rebecca St. James, and sons Joel and David (for KING + COUNTRY) in the country music scene. Joel Smallbone directed, co-wrote and portrays his father David.

The Lionsgate film, which was made for only $6 million, scored a rare A+ CinemaScore and has a 100% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The critic’s score is a much more tempered 58%. Audiences were overwhelmingly female (69%) and over 25 (91).

A24's “Civil War” also added $7 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $56.2 million.

This image released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures shows Zendaya, left, and Josh O'Connor in a scene from "Challengers." (Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures via AP)

This image released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures shows Zendaya in a scene from "Challengers." (Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures via AP)

This image released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures shows Mike Faist, from left, Zendaya and Josh O'Connor in a scene from "Challengers." (Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures via AP)

From left, Josh O'Connor, Zendaya and Mike Faist, cast members in "Challengers," pose together at the premiere of the film at the Regency Village Theatre, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Zendaya, a cast member in "Challengers," poses at the premiere of the film at the Regency Village Theatre, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Zendaya, a cast member in "Challengers," poses at the premiere of the film at the Regency Village Theatre, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)