There are few Orioles players over the last decade who have been as beloved as Anthony Santander. So when his replacement Tyler O’Neill came in this winter, it was to be expected that he may not elicit that same reaction as his predecessor did. At least not at first.

Perhaps his play in the opening series in Toronto, when he went 4-for-10 and extended his opening day home run streak to six, opened some hearts. On Monday, as he ran down the orange carpet prior to the Orioles’ home opener, the crowd gave him a strong reception.

“It was really cool out there,” O’Neill said. “Running down the orange carpet, that was very special.”

Then he followed it up with a 4-for-4 performance in the Orioles’ 8-5 win over the Red Sox.

He will never be Santander. But as long as he’s O’Neill, that should be plenty.

“T.O. is a big addition to our team,” manager Brandon Hyde said before Monday’s game. “I thought he played great defense the days he was out there. He’s obviously going to add power for us. And a pro, you know, a guy that’s going to take a professional at-bat.”

That defensive part held true for most of Monday’s game — and the only time it didn’t wasn’t entirely his fault. In the second inning, Jarren Duran’s fly ball landed under the Airtemp advertisement on the new, closer left field wall. Both O’Neill and center fielder Cedric Mullins expected the ball to bounce back but had to scramble to the wall to retrieve it when the ball came to rest, resulting in a two-run triple for Duran.

Aside from that, O’Neill’s home opener went about as well as he could have hoped. His single in the first inning drove in Jordan Westburg and he also added another two singles and a double.

“I was just really trying to feel the energy of the crowd, experience the city of Baltimore,” O’Neill said. “It was awesome out there today, there was definitely a buzz with the fans. You know, obviously we believe in ourselves as players and it was just a good win overall today.”

How long he’ll be in Baltimore isn’t known — his three-year, $49.5 million contract includes an opt-out after this season — but for now his services will be needed, especially with outfielder Colton Cowser hitting the injured list Monday with a fractured left thumb. Cowser is expected to be out for a minimum of six to eight weeks.

Cowser’s defensive skills were already missed on Monday as Ramón Laureano failed to make a play in foul territory and committed an error in the third inning, both of which extended starting pitcher Cade Povich’s outing. That error allowed a runner to advance to third and then score on a Kristian Campbell ground out.

Povich ended up pitching 4 1/3 innings, the defensive miscues and his own inefficiency leading to his exit in the fifth. But he struck out eight.

It was his first home opener — starting and attending — so he said he felt some nerves as he took the mound.

“They were definitely there early on in the first, and before the game probably felt it a little bit,” Povich said. “After we got going it calmed down a little bit.”

His efforts were enough, as he staked the Orioles a one-run lead, and an eighth inning rally started by O’Neill was the kicker. After a single from O’Neill, Ryan Mountcastle and Heston Kjerstad also had base hits and O’Neill scored. Then Dylan Carlson walked to load the bases with no outs.

With Cedric Mullins up, the sold-out Camden Yards crowd got to its feet and started chanting his name. Unlike O’Neill, this crowd is already well-acquainted with Mullins, who has manned center field full-time since 2020. This may be Mullins’ last home opener — he’s set to hit free agency after this season — and, like O’Neill, he gave the fans a lasting image. He drove in two runs, and the Orioles added one more before closing out the inning. Mullins’ finished his day with 4 RBI.

“Just trying to keep the moments simple,” he said. “Those runs were huge for us in the long run, but trying to take advantage with runners in scoring position is something we’ve worked on, continuing to work on, and it’s good to see it come to fruition.”

There was no sitting down from there — the whistle signaled and everyone knew what was next. It was time for Félix Bautista, making his first appearance at Camden Yards since Aug. 25, 2023, after undergoing Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery.

“It gave me goose bumps,” Hyde said. “I was just thinking about him the whole time.”

He already made his grand return in Toronto on Saturday, but this was the moment he had been waiting for. He was amped up, walking Kristian Campbell and giving up an RBI double to Romy Gonzalez and an RBI single to Triston Casas but, thanks to the cushion the Orioles built during the previous inning, the win was still safe.

The Orioles, both the beloved stalwarts and the new additions, had done it on home opening day.