CHICAGO — The Cardinals lost one of their most frustrating games of the season against the Cubs when outfielder Tyler O’Neill was unable to advance past third base due to a series of bizarre events on Friday. There was one moment, however, when O’Neill took a moment to look around, marvel at the sun-kissed day at Wrigley Field, absorb the noise of the noisy crowd, and gain valuable perspective.
Why was the muscle-bound O’Neill just two and a half months earlier with back pain so bad he couldn’t hold his five-month-old daughter, Audrie, in his torn arms? Around the same time, O’Neill would often wake up in the middle of the night with back pain so bad it would send numbing pains down his leg over and over again.
Flashing back to Friday, O’Neill was on base for the fifth time in his first two games since May 4th. He couldn’t help but be thrown back to the deep moments in early May when walking upright was an issue. The Cardinals lost a heartbreaking 4-3 to the Cubs, but that pain was no comparison to what O’Neill endured more than two months earlier.
“Everyday life was pretty tough to get through, but I’m a tough athlete and I wanted to get through it,” O’Neill said, citing the back pain that eventually put him on the 60-day injured list on May 5. “It got to the point where I couldn’t even hold my little girl – she didn’t even weigh 11 or 12 pounds at the time – and I wake up in the middle of the night and I keep waking up with shooting pains in my leg.
“I attempted to work through it in May and got a second opinion in June and I’m happy with how the process went and how I’m feeling now. That’s the most important.”
One night after O’Neill had three on bases in Thursday’s Cardinals 7-2 win, he hit a single on Friday to set the team’s first run. In the eighth run, with the Cardinals trailing behind, O’Neill managed a leadoff walk, moved up to second place with a Jordan-Walker walk, and then used his speed to secure third place. Frustratingly, however, he stayed put when Alec Burleson went into a double play after being called out for two shots that Statcast metrics said were out of order.
“I did everything in my power not to do what I did [the umpire] “I forced my hand a little bit,” said Burleson, who was sent off for feuding with balls and batting. “A few months ago I might have been over-anxious and swaying on those balls, but I did everything in my power to stay in the zone.”
The loss ended the Cardinals’ six-game winning streak of the season and broke a streak in which they had won eight of the previous nine games. All four Cubs runs came in the fourth against Jack Flaherty with extra base hits – home runs by rookie Miles Mastrobuoni and Cody Bellinger and an RBI double by Mike Tauchman. Flaherty not only had four straight wins, but had only conceded one home run in his previous 65 1/3 innings before Friday’s crucial third game.
“I mean, I’m a shot away from being out of there,” said Flaherty, who scored six. “[Bellinger] momentum on it. You show your cap [Bellinger].”
The Cardinals commend O’Neill for the way he worked to overcome the injury that threatened to ruin a second straight season. O’Neill, 28, hit 34 home runs and 80 runs in 2021, but his 22 season was largely marred by a shoulder injury and multiple hamstring strains. After working to better condition his body during the offseason, O’Neill was the opening day starter in midfield.
After returning to left field — where he won the Gold Gloves in 2020 and 2021 — and struggling further with the plate, O’Neill suffered from back pain. He paused and began a rehab plan three times before eventually traveling to Southern California to see back specialist Dr. To see Robert Watkins, who gave him epidural and cortisone injections and ordered him to rest. Eventually, O’Neill got the relief he was looking for and it allowed him to return to the Cardinals.
Coincidentally, Friday marked the sixth anniversary of O’Neill’s transfer from the Mariners to the Cardinals, a franchise he hopes to remain loyal to long-term, although rumors linger that he could be switched out before the August 1 trade deadline.
“The Cardinals are doing a great job here and I know these guys very well – not just my teammates but the staff as well,” said O’Neill, who reiterated his desire to remain a Cardinal. “As for talking in the big league, [the Cardinals] are all I know. I love it here and we’ll see what happens.”