Paul O'Neill (baseball)
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Paul Andrew O'Neill (born February 25, 1963) is an American former
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
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. In the ...
who played 17 seasons in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB). He played for the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
(1985–1992) and
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
(1993–2001). O'Neill compiled 281
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s, 1,269
runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
, 2,107 hits, and a lifetime
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
of .288. He won the
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
batting title in 1994 with a .359 average. He was a five-time
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
champion and a five-time
All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
(1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1998). O'Neill is the only player to have played on the winning team in three perfect games. He was in right field for the Reds for Tom Browning's perfect game in 1988. He caught the final out (a fly ball) in the Yankees'
David Wells David Lee Wells (born May 20, 1963) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams, most notably the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Boomer", Wells was considered on ...
'
perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New Yo ...
in 1998, and he made a diving catch in right field and doubled to help the Yankees win
David Cone David Brian Cone (born January 2, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, and current color commentator for the New York Yankees on the YES Network and Amazon Prime as well as for ESPN on Sunday Night Baseball.
's
perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New Yo ...
in 1999. After retiring from playing baseball, O'Neill became a broadcaster for the Yankees on the
YES Network The Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) is an American pay television regional sports network owned by Yankee Global Enterprises (the largest shareholder with 26%), Main Street Sports Group (which owns 20%), Amazon (which owns 15% ...
. He currently works on the network as the lead game analyst and color commentator.


Early life

Paul Andrew O'Neill was born on February 25, 1963, in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
. O'Neill and his family were fans of the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
. His older sister was Molly O'Neill (1952-2019), a chef, cookbook author, and food writer for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. O'Neill attended Brookhaven High School. He played baseball and basketball. In basketball, O'Neill earned all-state honors in his senior year 1981 and Central District Player of the Year.


Professional career


Draft and minor leagues

O'Neill was drafted by the Reds in the fourth round of the
1981 Major League Baseball draft The 1981 Major League Baseball draft took place in June 1981. The draft saw the Seattle Mariners select Mike Moore (baseball), Mike Moore first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1981 Major League Ba ...
.


Cincinnati Reds (1985–1992)

O'Neill made his Major League debut on September 3, 1985, and singled in his first at-bat. For the rest of the 1985 season, O'Neill played in five games with four hits and one RBI. He spent most of the 1986 season in the minors. He played only in three games with the Major League team during 1986 and did not get a hit in the majors that year. O'Neill split his time between the minors and the MLB team in 1987. He appeared in 84 games for the Reds that year, batting .256 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs. In 1988, his first full season with the Reds, O'Neill played 145 games, batting .252 with 16 home runs and 73 RBIs. O'Neill played 117 games in 1989, batting .276 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs. In 1989, O'Neill had a similar statistical line, batting .276 on the year with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs. On July 5, he famously kicked a ball back into the infield after he bobbled it in shallow right, preventing a runner from second from scoring on the play (a single). The play is referenced on his
Baseball-Reference Baseball Reference is a baseball statistics database maintained by Sports Reference. The site provides career statistics for Major League Baseball (MLB) players and teams as well as records, MLB draft history, and sabermetrics. History Founde ...
page, where his characteristics are listed as "Bats: Left, Throws: Left, Kicks: Left". In 1990, O'Neill played in 145 games, batting .270 with 16 home runs and 78 RBIs. O'Neill batted .277 during the 1990 postseason with a home run and five RBIs as the Reds won the World Series over the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
. O'Neill clashed with Reds manager
Lou Piniella Louis Victor Piniella ( usually ; born August 28, 1943) is a former professional baseball player and manager. An outfielder, he played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals a ...
, who wanted O'Neill to change his swing to hit more
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s. In response to the clash, O'Neill improved greatly in 1991 by playing 152 games with a career high of 28 home runs. He batted .256 with 91 RBIs, as well. In his final season as a member of the Reds, O'Neill played in 148 games, batting .246 with 14 home runs and 66 RBIs.


New York Yankees (1993–2001)

On November 3, 1992, the Reds traded O'Neill to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly. In his first season as a Yankee, O'Neill played 141 games batting .311 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs. During the strike-shortened 1994 season, O'Neill played 103 games with a .359 batting average, 21 home runs, and 83 RBIs, which led him to be selected to his second All-Star game. O'Neill won the batting title, and the Yankees led the East Division by six and a half games when the players' strike ended the season. He signed a four-year, $19 million contract. In 1995, O'Neill played in 127 games, batting .300 with 22 home runs, 96 RBIs, and an MLB-leading 25 double plays committed. He led the Yankees to the postseason for the first time since 1981, but they lost to the
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
in the division series despite winning the first two games. On April 30, 1996, O'Neill hit a long home run to
Eutaw Street Eutaw Street is a major street in Baltimore, Maryland, mostly within the downtown area. Outside of downtown, it is mostly known as Eutaw Place. The south end of Eutaw Street is at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. After this point, the street contin ...
off of
Arthur Rhodes Arthur Lee Rhodes, Jr. (born October 24, 1969) is an American former professional baseball left-handed relief pitcher and current pitching coach for the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He played 20 seas ...
while playing at
Oriole Park at Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards, commonly known as Camden Yards, is a ballpark in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the ...
. O'Neill famously was his own toughest 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 in a brawl with Seattle catcher
John Marzano John Robert Marzano (February 14, 1963 – April 19, 2008), commonly referred to as "Johnny Marz", was an Americans, American professional baseball catcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers (baseball ...
. 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. During the 1996 season, O'Neill played in 150 games, batting .302 with 19 home runs, 91 RBIs, and a career-high 102 walks. He ended Game 5 of the
1996 World Series The 1996 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1996 Major League Baseball season, 1996 season. The 92nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (bas ...
by robbing former Yankee teammate
Luis Polonia Luis Andrew Polonia Almonte (born December 10, 1963) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, California Angels, Atlanta B ...
of the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
of an extra-base hit, preserving a 1–0 victory for the Yankees. The Yankees then won the series, which was their first World Series championship since 1978. In 1997, O'Neill played in 149 games, batting .324 with 21 home runs and 117 RBIs. He led the Yankees into the postseason again, batting .421 with two home runs and seven RBIs, but they lost the division series to the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
. In 1998, O'Neill played in 152 games, batting .317 with 24 home runs and 116 RBIs. He led the AL by grounding into 22 double plays. O'Neill led the Yankees into the World Series where they won against the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
in a four-game sweep and helped the team win a record 125 games. In 1999, O'Neill played in 153 games, batting .285 with 19 home runs and 110 RBIs. O'Neill played Game 4 of the
1999 World Series The 1999 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1999 season. The 95th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the defending American League (AL) and World Series champion New York ...
just hours after his father died. The Yankees eventually won the game and swept the Braves to win their 25th World Series championship. In 2000, O'Neill played in 142 games, batting .283 with 18 home runs and 100 RBIs. He led the Yankees to the postseason again as they won the World Series over the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
. In 2001, O'Neill played in 137 games, batting .267 with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs. In Game 5 of the
2001 World Series The 2001 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2001 Major League Baseball season, 2001 season. The 97th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (ba ...
, 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 Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...
. The Yankees won the game 3–2, but they lost the series four games to three.


Legacy

Yankee owner
George Steinbrenner George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930July 13, 2010) was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He was the longest-serving own ...
labeled O'Neill as a "Warrior." He was given this nickname due to his passion and love for the game. Since his retirement after the 2001 World Series, his number 21 was only worn once, when relief pitcher
LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his 21-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Ro ...
briefly wore the number to start the 2008 season. On April 16, 2008, Hawkins switched to number 22 in response to the criticism he received by many Yankee fans. The Yankees honored O'Neill with a plaque in Monument Park on August 9, 2014. The Yankees retired O'Neill's number 21 on August 21, 2022, at Yankee Stadium. Because O'Neill had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, the team had to make changes to the retirement ceremony to comply with its health protocols; no current Yankees joined O'Neill on the field, and he did not visit any of the broadcast booths during the game.


Television

In 1995, while still a player for the Yankees, O'Neill had a cameo role on the NBC sitcom ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
''. In the episode " The Wink",
Cosmo Kramer Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to simply by his surname, is a fictional character in the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998) played by Michael Richards. The character is loosely based on comedian Kenny Kramer, Larry David' ...
approaches O'Neill in the Yankees' locker room and says that he must hit two home runs in the next game to fulfill the wish of a sick little boy. In the ensuing game, which is entirely
offscreen The terms off-screen, off-camera, and off-stage refer to fictional events in theatre, television, or film which are not seen on stage or in frame, but are merely heard by the audience, or described (or implied) by the characters or narrator. Off ...
, O'Neill hits one home run and achieves an inside-the-park home run which is scored a triple due to the other team's error. Though "The Wink" was the fourth episode broadcast during ''Seinfeld''s seventh season, O'Neill's scene was the first scene filmed for that season. He is also mentioned in the ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'' episode " The One with Rachel's Big Kiss".


Broadcasting career (2002–present)

Starting after his retirement from baseball in 2001, O'Neill 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 commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
for the
YES Network The Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) is an American pay television regional sports network owned by Yankee Global Enterprises (the largest shareholder with 26%), Main Street Sports Group (which owns 20%), Amazon (which owns 15% ...
. O'Neill returned to Ohio to live with his family. On July 7, 2009, 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 The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
owner
Walter O'Malley Walter Francis O'Malley (October 9, 1903 – August 9, 1979) was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1979. In 1958, as owner of the Dodgers, he br ...
, broadcaster
Vin Scully Vincent Edward Scully (November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022) was an American sportscaster, best known for his broadcast work in Major League Baseball. Scully was the play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers for sixty-se ...
, former player
Steve Garvey Steven Patrick Garvey (born December 22, 1948) is an American former professional Major League Baseball player who played first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1987. Garvey began his major league career wit ...
, umpire
Jim Joyce James Alfred Joyce III (born October 3, 1955) is an American former professional baseball umpire who worked in the American League (AL) from 1987 to 1999 and throughout Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 to 2016. He wore uniform number 6 whil ...
, and blind sports reporter
Ed Lucas Edward Joseph Lucas Jr. (January 3, 1939 – November 10, 2021) was an American blind sportswriter who primarily covered the New York Yankees. Biography Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Lucas grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey and attended St. Jos ...
. During the
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
and
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
seasons, due to social-distancing requirements related to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, O'Neill participated in Yankees broadcasts remotely from a basement studio nicknamed "Studio 21" in his Ohio home. During the 2022 season, the Yankees relaxed their social-distancing requirements, but O'Neill continued to call games remotely from Studio 21. The ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'' reported that this is because he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. Despite this, he did appear in person for his number retirement ceremony in August 2022. O'Neill returned to the YES broadcast booth during the 2023 season after the company relaxed its vaccine requirements.


Writing

After retiring from his playing career, O'Neill authored a book entitled ''Me and My Dad: A Baseball Memoir''. The book discusses his relationship with his father, who instilled in him a love for the game of baseball. In 2022, O'Neill released ''Swing and a Hit: Nine Innings of What Baseball Taught Me'', written with Jack Curry.


Personal life

O'Neill and his wife, Nevalee, were neighbors in Columbus. They have three children, and live in
Montgomery, Ohio Montgomery is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. It is an eastern suburb of Cincinnati. The population was 10,853 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Settled in 1795, Montgomery is one of t ...
. His nephew, Michael, also played baseball in the Yankees organization. At a press conference in
Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 US Census, the town had a population of 61,047. It is 84 miles north of Miami and 15 miles north of West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach. ...
, in March 2016, O'Neill endorsed
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
for president.


See also

*
List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders This is a list of the 300 Major League Baseball players who have hit the most career home runs in regular season play (i.e., excluding playoffs or exhibition games). In the sport of baseball, a home run is a hit in which the batter scores by ci ...
*
List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders Listed are all Major League Baseball players who have reached the 2,000 hit (baseball), hit milestone during their career in MLB. Pete Rose holds the Major League record for most career hits, with 4,256. Rose and Ty Cobb, second most, are the only ...
*
List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders In baseball, a double is a hit in which the batter advances to second base in one play, without the benefit of a fielding error, advancing to second on a throw to another base, or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice. A batter may ...
*
List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders Listed are all Major League Baseball (MLB) players with 1,000 or more career runs scored. Players in boldface are active as of the 2025 Major League Baseball season. Key List *Stats updated as of June 16, 2025. Through June 16, 2025, th ...
*
List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders This is a list of Major League Baseball players who have compiled 1,000 runs batted in (RBIs). RBIs are usually accumulated when a batter in baseball enables a runner on base (including himself, in the case of a home run) to score as a result of m ...
*
List of Major League Baseball batting champions In baseball, batting average (baseball), batting average (AVG) is a measure of a Batting (baseball), batter's success rate in achieving a Hit (baseball), hit during an at bat. In Major League Baseball (MLB), it is calculated by dividing a player's ...


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Paul 1963 births Living people National League All-Stars American League All-Stars Cincinnati Reds players Baseball players from Columbus, Ohio Baseball players from Cincinnati Otterbein University alumni Major League Baseball right fielders New York Yankees announcers New York Yankees players Major League Baseball broadcasters American League batting champions YES Network Billings Mustangs players Cedar Rapids Reds players Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players Waterbury Reds players Vermont Reds players Denver Zephyrs players Nashville Sounds players