NEW YORK -- Oneil, meet O¡¯Neill.

On Saturday, Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz met his namesake, former Yankees outfielder and current broadcaster Paul O'Neill. The two had a video chat and O¡¯Neill sent over a jersey the last time the Pirates played in Yankee Stadium in 2022, but this time, they got to meet in person at Yankee Stadium.

¡°When you hear these stories about Yankees fans naming their children, it¡¯s quite an honor, really,¡± O¡¯Neill said. ¡°I saw he was born in 1998. It was a wonderful year for us [a World Series victory]. I must have had a good game. It could have been Tino [Martinez] or [Derek] Jeter or anyone.¡±

Not likely. Cruz¡¯s father, Rafael -- a Minor League infielder in his day -- was an O¡¯Neill fan, and he told his son stories about the Yankees¡¯ outfielder his whole life.

¡°Very excited to just finally meet him,¡± Cruz said, via interpreter and Pirates coach Stephen Morales. ¡°We had a phone conversation not that long ago about that. ¡­ It¡¯s my pleasure to finally meet him.¡±

¡°He¡¯s not a little guy,¡± O¡¯Neill said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty impressed with the way he looks, and obviously he¡¯s got a bright future.¡±