Yankees To Retire Another Jersey Number

Babe Ruth... Lou Gehrig... Joe DiMaggio... Mickey Mantle... Derek Jeter... And now... Paul O'Neil. Yes, the 4-time World Series champ will have his #21 retired by the New York Yankees this season. 

8.21.22

Paul O’Neill’s No. 21 enters Monument Park. pic.twitter.com/6ewcbEDPKj

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 22, 2022

The ceremony will take place, appropriately, on the 21st of August.

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!

— Paul O'Neill (@PaulONeillYES) February 22, 2022

Since he retired in 2001, O'Neill's number has only been worn briefly, once, in 2008, by LaTroy Hawkins, and that was met with some derision by fans. 

O'Neill was a 4-time All-Star with the Yankees (5-time overall), and spent nine years in pinstripes, helping to lead the team to its 4 World Series wins between 1996-2000. 

He batted .303 as a Yankee with an .869 OPS, both substantially better than his numbers in the first incarnation of his career, with the Cincinnati Reds. He topped the 100 RBI mark four straight years, from 1997-2000. 

O'Neill got a thunderous send-off from Yankee fans in the 9th inning of Game 5 of the 2001 World Series, knowing it would be his last inning in the Bronx.

He is so beloved as a Yankee, he's had a plaque in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium since 2014. 

He's still with the organization, as an analyst on the YES Network. 

O'Neill's #21 will be the 23rd number to be retired by the Yankees, covering both players and managers. Jeter's #2 was the most recent, in 2017.