Oneil, meet O'Neill: Pirates star, namesake Yankee meet at last

Title: Oneil, meet O'Neill: Pirates star, namesake Yankee meet at last Oneil Cruz, the Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder, met his namesake Paul O'Neill, the former New York Yankees outfielder and current broadcaster. This was the first time Cruz and O'Neill met in person, though they had previously had a video chat and O'Neill had sent Cruz a jersey when the Pirates played at Yankee Stadium in 2022. O'Neill was honored that a Yankees fan had named their child after him, saying 'When you hear these stories about Yankees fans naming their children, it's quite an honor, really.' Cruz's father, Rafael, was a fan of O'Neill's during his Yankees playing days and told his son stories about the outfielder throughout his life. Cruz expressed his excitement to finally meet O'Neill in person, saying 'It's my pleasure to finally meet him.' O'Neill was impressed by Cruz's physical stature, noting 'He's not a little guy. I'm pretty impressed with the way he looks, and obviously he's got a bright future.' The meeting between Cruz and O'Neill occurred at Yankee Stadium. Cruz was born in 1998, the same year the Yankees won the World Series, which O'Neill said 'was a wonderful year for us.' O'Neill speculated that Cruz's father may have named him after O'Neill because 'it could have been Tino [Martinez] or [Derek] Jeter or anyone.' The document highlights the connection between a current MLB player and a former Yankees star, brought together by the shared first name.

Original Article: https://www.mlb.com/pirates/news/oneil-cruz-meets-namesake-paul-o-neill-at-yankee-stadium

Original Article Author: Alex Stumpf