Paul O'Neill (baseball)

Paul O'Neill

Position	Right Field
Teams	Cincinnati Reds 1985-1992 New York Yankees 1993-2001
Years of Experience	17 Years
Date of Birth	(1963-02-25) February 25, 1963
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	215 lb.
Bats	Left
Throws	Left
College	Otterbein College
2001 Salary	$7,250,000
Place of Birth	Columbus, Ohio
Selection	Fourth round amateur draft, 1981
Drafted by	Cincinnati Reds
Major League Debut	September 3, 1985
Retired	2001

For other people named Paul O'Neill, see Paul O'Neill (disambiguation).

Paul Andrew O'Neill (born February 25, 1963 in Columbus, Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds (1985-1992) and New York Yankees (1993-2001).

Youth and Cincinnati career

An Ohio native, O'Neill and his family were fans of the Reds. On a visit to the Reds' Crosley Field shortly before it closed, six-year-old Paul had his picture taken wearing a Reds batting helmet and holding a toy bat. Over his shoulder could be seen Roberto Clemente of the opposing Pittsburgh Pirates. Like Clemente, O'Neill would become a right fielder and wear uniform number 21.

O'Neill made his major-league debut on September 3, 1985, and singled in his first at-bat. In a 1989 game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium, O'Neill fielded a base hit, couldn't hold onto it, and kicked it, left-footed, back to the infield, to prevent baserunner Steve Jeltz from scoring. Jeltz scored on a wild pitch anyway, but the incident is remembered as one of the all-time baseball "bloopers," even though it turned out to be a good play.

Career with New York Yankees

On November 3, 1992, the Reds traded O'Neill to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly. In 1994, with O'Neill winning the batting title, the Yankees led the East division by six and a half games when a players' strike ended the season. The next season, the Yankees made the playoffs, and did so in every season remaining in O'Neill's career.

O'Neill famously was his own worst critic, seemingly never satisfied with his own performance and known for his emotion on the field; when disappointed with his performance or angry with an umpire's decision he would attack water coolers or toss bats on the field. His tirades were both praised and criticized by the media and fans.

O'Neill is fondly remembered by Yankee fans as the "heart and soul" of the team's dynasty in the 1990s. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner also labeled him as a "Warrior". Naturally, however, to non Yankee fans and especially the Red Sox Nation, his antics were seen in a more negative light which led to being labeled a 'whinger', 'spoiled brat' and 'crybaby'. In January 2007, Bill Simmons, an ESPN sportswriter and unrepentant Red Sox fan, referred to O'Neill as a "dick" in an ESPN online chat.

O'Neill was a member of five world championship teams: Cincinnati Reds in 1990 and the New York Yankees in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

In Game 5 of the 2001 World Series, O'Neill got possibly one of the most emotional sendoffs in baseball history. While standing in right field in the 9th inning with the Yankees down 2-0, the entire stadium chanted his name. When the inning ended, O'Neill was still being cheered. With tears in his eyes, he tipped his cap, and another roar went up from the crowd at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won the game 3-2, but lost the series 4 games to 3. Since his retirement after the 2001 World Series, his number 21 has not been worn by any Yankee player, leading to speculation that it will be officially retired.

After retirement

Starting after his retirement from baseball in 2001, O'Neill now serves as a Pre and Post Game Studio Analyst, as well as an announcer for the YES Network.

Achievements and trivia

• O'Neill's great-grandmother, Mary Clemens, was a first cousin of Samuel Clemens, alias Mark Twain. His sister, Molly O'Neill, is a restaurant critic for The New York Times.
• In a 17 year career, O'Neill compiled a lifetime batting average of .288, 281 home runs, 1,269 runs batted in, and 2,105 hits.
• O'Neill won the American League batting title in 1994 with a .359 average. He was also a five-time All-Star, playing in 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1998.
• O'Neill guest-starred as himself in a 1995 episode of Seinfeld, entitled "The Wink." The storyline involved a parody of a scene from the 1942 Lou Gehrig biopic The Pride of the Yankees, in which Gehrig promises to hit two home runs in a single game to cheer up a crippled boy whom he visits in the hospital.
• O'Neill is the only player in Major League Baseball history to have played on the winning side of three perfect games — pitched by Tom Browning in 1988, David Wells in 1998, and David Cone in 1999 — and is the oldest major leaguer to hit more than 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a season, a feat he accomplished in 2001.
• On October 27, 1999, O'Neill's father, Charles "Chick" O'Neill, died, between Games 3 and 4 of the World Series against the Atlanta Braves. O'Neill played in Game 4 and the Yankees completed their sweep. Chick had served as a paratrooper in World War II and pitched in the low-minor California League. Paul published Me and My Dad: A Baseball Memoir after his playing career ended.
• As of 2006, O'Neill is a studio analyst for the YES Network.
• An amateur drummer, O'Neill has performed onstage with John Mellencamp, and has played in charity tennis tournaments with Jim Courier.

See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time

External links

• Career statistics from Baseball Reference
• Official website