Yankees to retire Paul O'Neill's No. 21 jersey this summer
Paul O'Neill hit .303 and had 185 home runs as a Yankee. Credit: Newsday/Audrey C. Tiernan
TAMPA, Fla. — Paul O’Neill’s No. 21 has unofficially been retired — more or less — since the outfielder’s last game in 2001.
The Yankees made it official Tuesday morning.
The club announced in a news release the fan favorite would become the 23rd Yankees player or manager to have his number retired, with the ceremony scheduled to take place before a game against the Blue Jays on Aug. 21 at the Stadium.
"This is my Hall of Fame," O’Neill, now a YES Network analyst, told fellow YES Network analyst Jack Curry Tuesday.
In a Twitter post, O’Neill wrote: "Wow. My heartfelt thanks to the Steinbrenner family, the entire Yankees organization, YES Network, my teammates & coaches over the years, & most importantly the fans of New York. This is the greatest honor of my life. I’m forever grateful for all you have done for me & my family!"
O’Neill, brought to the Yankees in November 1992 via trade with the Reds (Roberto Kelly went to Cincinnati), won four World Series in his nine seasons with the Yankees as he was a significant contributor to the title teams in 1996 and 1998-2000. O’Neill, nicknamed "The Warrior," received a plaque in Monument Park on Aug. 9, 2014. He becomes the first Yankee to have his number retired since Derek Jeter’s No. 2 was retired on May 14, 2017.
The last Yankee to wear the number was reliever LaTroy Hawkins who, in 2008, essentially was pressured by a vocal segment of the fan base into giving it up.
O’Neill, a four-time All-Star with the Yankees (1994-95, 1997-98), won the American League batting title in 1994 with a .359 average. He hit .303 as a Yankee with 185 home runs and an .869 OPS.
In 2001, his 17th and final season, O’Neill became the first 38-year-old in major-league history to steal 20 bases and hit 20 homers in the same season — an achievement equaled by Gary Sheffield in 2007.
Other Yankees from O’Neill’s playing days to have had their numbers retired are Jeter, Don Mattingly (No. 23), Andy Pettitte (No. 46), Jorge Posada (No. 20), Mariano Rivera (No. 42), Bernie Williams (No. 51) and manager Joe Torre (No. 6).
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
