Eight years ago, Paul O’Neill was thanked by the Yankees for his contributions to their dynasty with a plaque in Monument Park.
On Sunday, the Yankees retired his No. 21 — the 23rd player or manager in the franchise to have that happen.
This ceremony was slightly different from others.
Because
he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, O’Neill couldn’t interact with
any current New York players in the dugout. And with the Yankees stuck
in a 4-14 rut, there were noticeable boos for managing general partner
Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman during the 33-minute
ceremony.
New
York’s first jersey retirement ceremony since 2017, when Derek Jeter’s
No. 2 was honored, had the usual video tributes and messages, gifts and
an acceptance speech.
During
his roughly eight-minute speech, the 59-year-old O’Neill — an All-Star
right fielder and now a popular team announcer — thanked the fans
numerous times. He opened by saying: “You Yankee fans have obviously
been practicing and it sounds great still today.”
A
four-time World Series champion as a Yankee, O’Neill was nicknamed “The
Warrior” by late owner George Steinbrenner. “The fans remember the
teams that win and we won,” O’Neill said. “And we won a lot.”
O’Neill
hit .303 with 185 homers and 858 RBIs for the Yankees from 1993 to
2001. He was a four-time All-Star with the team and won the 1994 AL
batting title during a strike-shortened season.
He wore No. 21 for his entire big league career, starting as a rookie with the Reds in 1985.
“That’s
why I’m celebrating this day, because this is the biggest dream that
I’ve ever had in my life,” O’Neill said in his speech.
Former
trainer Gene Monahan was there, along with teammates Tino Martinez,
Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera.
Six
minutes into the ceremony, O’Neill stood next to his wife and family to
unveil his retire number in Monument Park. He was brought on to the
field in a golf cart as highlights played on the videoboard — including
his final home game in Game 5 of the 2001 World Series and his running
catch to end Game 5 of the 1996 World Series.
Then
there were brief video messages from Jeter, Joe Torre, David Cone and
Don Mattingly, along with a message from Roberto Clemente Jr., the Hall
of Famer’s son and a former Yankee Spanish-language announcer.
“Obviously,
Paul is a central figure in one of the many great times in Yankee
baseball and dynasties,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees
faced Toronto, adding, “It’s fun to know Paul in a friendly, even silly
guy that sometimes is a contrast with who he was in between those
lines.”
Steinbrenner
gave O’Neill a framed plaque of his jersey; other gifts included a
custom wine bottle with his No. 21, a framed jersey signed by current
Yankees and a water cooler, a nod to his tendencies to slam water
coolers in the dugout.
The
signed framed jersey was the closest thing O’Neill had to any
interaction with New York’s current roster because of his vaccination
status; unvaccinated personnel are barred from interaction with any
players on the bench or in the locker room.
O’Neill
has called games on the YES Network from his Ohio home since the
pandemic 2020 season. In an interview with NJ Advance Media published
Saturday, O’Neill said of his vaccination status, “I’d rather not
discuss that.”
Since
O’Neill retired after the 2001 World Series, the only New York player
to wear No. 21 was reliever LaTroy Hawkins at the opening of the 2008
season, but he switched back not too long after the season started.