Mistaken after NBA legend ‘Shaq’, O’Neil Cruz comes clean about namesake

Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz shares wholesome time with Yankees legend Paul O’Neil prior to faceoff on Saturday.

Mistaken after NBA legend ‘Shaq’, O’Neil Cruz comes clean about namesake

Shaquille O'Neal, Oneil Cruz, Paul O'Neill [Image Credit: BBC, SI, NY Times]

Saturday marked an epic moment as Detroit Tigers shortstop Oneil Cruz met his namesake, New York Yankees legend Paul O’Neill prior to the faceoff between the two teams. It wasn’t their first time talking to each other, but definitely their first time meeting face-to-face.

While talking about Cruz’s childhood and how his name became inspired by the NY Yankees legend, he spoke about how people often mistook his namesake to be from NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal. The young Cruz often had to clarify and say it was from a famous baseballer and his father’s idol.

Oneil Cruz’s father Rafael Cruz, a former baseballer in the Texas Rangers, was a huge fan of Paul O’Neill. So much so, that he named his son after him. According to Cruz, his father would often tell stories about O’Neill, which eventually became an important segment of his life.

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In my hometown, ever since I was a child, everyone used to assume my name came from Shaquille O’Neal. I’d have to correct them and said, ‘No, it’s another guy, my dad’s favorite ballplayer.’ To this day, I haven’t really dug in to find out, but I need to get the full story.

Oneil Cruz as per Inna Zeyger of Pinstripes Nation.

It took 26 years for both of them to meet face-to-face and the moment was both an exciting and emotional one for them. The day ended with the Detroit Tigers winning 9-4 against NY Yankees.

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Paul O’Neill emotional after finding out meaning behind of Oneil Cruz’s name

Ex-NY Yankees player and current broadcaster Paul O’Neill got emotional on learning how his fan ended up giving his name to his son. He said it was a special tribute and an honor from both a fan and a player.

Paul O'Neill and Oneil Cruz
Paul O’Neill and Oneil Cruz [Image Credit: Sports Illustrated]

Before Saturday’s meeting O’Neill and Oneil Cruz chatted on FaceTime in 2022 when the latter first played in the Yankee Stadium. Although he wasn’t present at the broadcasting booth at that time, he sent over a signed jersey as a token.

Very excited to just finally meet him. We had a phone conversation not that long ago about that…It’s my pleasure to finally meet him.

Oneil Cruz on X.

Even the year Cruz was born was a special year for the Yankees as they won another World Series title in 1998. Looking at his performance and recent growth, Paul O’Neill commented, “he’s got a bright future” and stated he’s pretty “impressed” to watch him play. 

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