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Paul O'Neill (baseball player)
Encyclopedia
Paul Andrew O'Neill is a former right fielder
and Major League Baseball
player who won five World Series
while playing for the Cincinnati Reds
(1985–1992) and New York Yankees
(1993–2001). In a 17 year career, O'Neill compiled 281 home run
s, 1,269 runs batted in
, 2,107 hit
s, and a lifetime batting average
of .288. O'Neill won the American League
batting title in 1994 with a .359 average
, and was also a five-time All-Star
, playing in 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1998.
Paul O'Neill is the only player to have played on the winning team in three perfect game
s. He was on the field for the Cincinnati Reds for Tom Browning
's in . He caught the final out (a fly ball) in David Wells
' perfect game in , and he made a diving catch in right field and doubled to help the Yankees win during David Cone
's perfect game in .
After retiring from his Major League Baseball playing career, he authored a book entitled Me and My Dad: A Baseball Memoir. The book goes into a subject that O'Neill has rarely discussed: his relationship with his father who instilled in him a love for the game of baseball.
native and Brookhaven High School
graduate, 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. His older sister is Molly O'Neill, a noted chef and cookbook author who was a food writer for the New York Times in the year 2000.
in the 4th round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft
.
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." A broadcaster quipped: "The Cincinnati Bengals
are on the phone!" In 1990 O'Neill was a member of the Reds' World Series winning team. He also played in the Puerto Rico's winter league with the San Juan Metros and the Mayaguez Indians from 1985 to 1986.
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 for the first time in 14 years and did so in every season for the remainder of O'Neill's career. He was an integral member of the New York Yankees' last dynasty, helping them to win the World Series in , , , and . He ended Game 5 of the 1996 World Series
by robbing former Yankee teammate Luis Polonia
of the Atlanta Braves
of an extra-base hit, preserving a 1–0 victory for the Yankees. O'Neill played Game 4 of the 1999 World Series
just hours after his father died. The Yankees won the game and swept the Braves to win their 25th World Series Championship.
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 was involved with a brawl with Seattle catcher John Marzano. O'Neill had complained to the umpire that the previous pitch was high and inside. Marzano then hit the much bigger Paul O'Neill with a haymaker. The two grappled, and the benches cleared.
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." He was given this nickname due to his passion and love for the game.
In Game 5 of the 2001 World Series
, O'Neill received a sendoff from New York fans. 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. Yankees relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins
briefly wore the number in the 2008 season but, on April 16, 2008, Hawkins switched to number 22 in response to the criticism he received by many Yankee fans, all the more suggesting that number 21 may one day be retired for O'Neill. There is a Facebook
campaign to retire his number.
. In the episode entitled "The Wink," O'Neill is approached by Cosmo Kramer
in the Yankees' locker room and is told by Kramer that he must hit two home runs in the same game so that Kramer can retrieve a birthday card signed by all the Yankees from a little boy who wasn't supposed to get it in the first place. O'Neill replies that this is very difficult and that he is not usually a home run hitter; he then asks Kramer, "How'd you get in here anyways?" In the ensuing game, O'Neill hits a home run and later appears to have hit a second; the apparent inside-the-park home run is scored a triple due to the other team's error, so the little boy Kramer is trying to appease is not totally satisfied. Kramer manages to get the Yankee-signed birthday card back from the boy, but he has now promised the boy that O'Neill will catch a fly ball in his hat during the next game.
for the YES Network
. O'Neill returned to Ohio to live with his family.
On July 7, 2009, Paul O'Neill was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame (18 W. 33rd St. inside Foley's NY Pub & Restaurant) in New York City
along with longtime Los Angeles Dodgers
owner Walter O'Malley
, broadcaster Vin Scully
, former player Steve Garvey
, umpire Jim Joyce
, and blind sports reporter Ed Lucas
.
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
and Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player who won five World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
while playing for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1985–1992) and New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(1993–2001). In a 17 year career, O'Neill compiled 281 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, 1,269 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, 2,107 hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
s, and a lifetime batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .288. O'Neill won the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
batting title in 1994 with a .359 average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, and was also a five-time All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
, playing in 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1998.
Paul O'Neill is the only player to have played on the winning team in three perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
s. He was on the field for the Cincinnati Reds for Tom Browning
Tom Browning
Thomas Leo Browning is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals...
's in . He caught the final out (a fly ball) in David Wells
David Wells
David Lee Wells , nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Wells was considered to be one of the game's better left-handed pitchers, especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched the fifteenth perfect game in baseball history...
' perfect game in , and he made a diving catch in right field and doubled to help the Yankees win during David Cone
David Cone
David Brian Cone is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1986-2003 for six different teams. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history. He also set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons. He was a member of five...
's perfect game in .
After retiring from his Major League Baseball playing career, he authored a book entitled Me and My Dad: A Baseball Memoir. The book goes into a subject that O'Neill has rarely discussed: his relationship with his father who instilled in him a love for the game of baseball.
Early life
A Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
native and Brookhaven High School
Brookhaven High School (Columbus, Ohio)
Brookhaven High School is a public high school located on the northeast side of Columbus, Ohio. The school is a part of the Columbus City Schools system and opened in 1963. The list of notable alumni includes baseball player Paul O'Neill, football player Terry Glenn and basketball player Helen...
graduate, O'Neill and his family were fans of the Reds. On a visit to the Reds' Crosley Field
Crosley Field
Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second and third American Football League...
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
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
of the opposing Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. Like Clemente, O'Neill would become a right fielder and wear uniform number 21. His older sister is Molly O'Neill, a noted chef and cookbook author who was a food writer for the New York Times in the year 2000.
Cincinnati Reds
O'Neill was drafted by the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in the 4th round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft
1981 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft.- Other notable players :*John Elway was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1981 amateur draft...
.
O'Neill made his major-league debut on September 3, 1985
1985 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Kansas City Royals over St. Louis Cardinals ; Bret Saberhagen, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: George Brett*National League Championship Series MVP: Ozzie Smith...
and singled in his first at-bat. In a 1989 game against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
at Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
, 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
Steve Jeltz
Larry Steven Jeltz is a former professional baseball player. He played in parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals...
from scoring. Jeltz scored on a wild pitch anyway, but the incident is remembered as one of the all-time baseball "bloopers." A broadcaster quipped: "The Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
are on the phone!" In 1990 O'Neill was a member of the Reds' World Series winning team. He also played in the Puerto Rico's winter league with the San Juan Metros and the Mayaguez Indians from 1985 to 1986.
New York Yankees
Roberto Kelly
Roberto Conrado Kelly is a former Outfielder in Major League Baseball and is currently the first base coach for the San Francisco Giants. He previously managed the Giants' single-A team, the Augusta GreenJackets. Kelly played for several major league clubs...
.
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 for the first time in 14 years and did so in every season for the remainder of O'Neill's career. He was an integral member of the New York Yankees' last dynasty, helping them to win the World Series in , , , and . He ended Game 5 of the 1996 World Series
1996 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 20, 1996 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 and Game 2 were originally scheduled for Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, respectively. Rain on October 19, however, washed out Game 1. The schedule was moved up one day, with Game 1 and Game 2 rescheduled for...
by robbing former Yankee teammate Luis Polonia
Luis Polonia
Luis Andrew Polonia Almonte was a Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter....
of the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
of an extra-base hit, preserving a 1–0 victory for the Yankees. O'Neill played Game 4 of the 1999 World Series
1999 World Series
The 1999 World Series, the 95th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, featured a rematch between the defending champions New York Yankees against the Atlanta Braves during the month of October, with the Yankees sweeping the Series in four games for their second title in a row,...
just hours after his father died. The Yankees won the game and swept the Braves to win their 25th World Series Championship.
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
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
also labeled him as a "Warrior." He was given this nickname due to his passion and love for the game.
In Game 5 of the 2001 World Series
2001 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 27, 2001 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, ArizonaArizona showed no fear and chased Yankees starter Mike Mussina after just three innings. The Yankees gave up five unearned runs and the Diamondbacks rode Curt Schilling's seven strong innings to a 9–1 rout...
, O'Neill received a sendoff from New York fans. 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. Yankees relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins
LaTroy Hawkins
LaTroy Hawkins is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Through 2011, he was third of all active pitchers in career games pitched.-Minnesota Twins:...
briefly wore the number in the 2008 season but, on April 16, 2008, Hawkins switched to number 22 in response to the criticism he received by many Yankee fans, all the more suggesting that number 21 may one day be retired for O'Neill. There is a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
campaign to retire his number.
Television
In 1995, while still a player for the Yankees, O'Neill was featured in a cameo role on the NBC sitcom SeinfeldSeinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
. In the episode entitled "The Wink," O'Neill is approached by Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
in the Yankees' locker room and is told by Kramer that he must hit two home runs in the same game so that Kramer can retrieve a birthday card signed by all the Yankees from a little boy who wasn't supposed to get it in the first place. O'Neill replies that this is very difficult and that he is not usually a home run hitter; he then asks Kramer, "How'd you get in here anyways?" In the ensuing game, O'Neill hits a home run and later appears to have hit a second; the apparent inside-the-park home run is scored a triple due to the other team's error, so the little boy Kramer is trying to appease is not totally satisfied. Kramer manages to get the Yankee-signed birthday card back from the boy, but he has now promised the boy that O'Neill will catch a fly ball in his hat during the next game.
Broadcasting career
Starting after his retirement from baseball in 2001, O'Neill now serves as an analyst on the New York Yankees Pre-Game Show and the New York Yankees Post-Game Show, as well as a color commentatorColor commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for the YES Network
YES Network
The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
. O'Neill returned to Ohio to live with his family.
On July 7, 2009, Paul O'Neill was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame (18 W. 33rd St. inside Foley's NY Pub & Restaurant) in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
along with longtime Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
owner Walter O'Malley
Walter O'Malley
Walter Francis O'Malley was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from to . He served as Brooklyn Dodgers chief legal counsel when Jackie Robinson broke the racial color barrier in...
, broadcaster Vin Scully
Vin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
, former player Steve Garvey
Steve Garvey
Steven Patrick Garvey , nicknamed "Mr. Clean" because of the squeaky clean image he held throughout his career in baseball, is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current Southern California businessman...
, umpire Jim Joyce
Jim Joyce
James A. "Jim" Joyce III is a Major League Baseball umpire who has worked in the American League from 1987 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues since 2000. He wears uniform number 66...
, and blind sports reporter Ed Lucas
Ed Lucas
Edward Lucas is a blind sports writer, broadcaster and motivational speaker.As a reporter for the New York Mets and the New York Yankees, Lucas has covered the playoffs, the World Series and the All Star games. He has interviewed hundred of sports figures and celebrities over his fifty-five-year...
.
See also
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBIs
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions