New York Yankees to retire All-Star Paul O'Neill's No. 21 jersey
The New York Yankees will retire Paul O'Neill's No. 21 jersey in August at Yankee Stadium's Monument Park, the team announced Tuesday.
"It’s the highest honor that I’ve ever been given in baseball," O’Neill said. "I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s on my mind all day, and it keeps replaying over and over again, just how cool this is. To know that there’s a generation of people who associate my name with that number to me is very special."
O’Neill, 58, was a fourth-round pick in the 1981 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He started his MLB career in Cincinnati (1985-1992) before being traded to the Yankees following the 1992 season. He played right field in New York from 1993 to 2001. Over the course of 17 seasons in the big leagues, O'Neill racked up 281 home runs, 1,269 RBIs and 2,105 hits on his way to a lifetime batting average of .288.
The five-time All-Star won the 1994 AL batting title with a .359 average and was later a key part of four World Series champion Yankees teams (1996, ’98-2000).
"Paul O’Neill Day" will be celebrated on August 21 before the Yankees’ game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
He will become the 23rd Yankee to receive the honor, joining former teammates that he won four championships with — Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada.
