During a recent YES broadcast of the New York Yankees game against the Houston Astros, color commentator Paul O’Neill revealed an amusing fact about his cameo appearance on the popular sitcom Seinfeld. Fellow broadcasters David Cone and Michael Kay were intrigued by the Yankees legend’s disclosure.
Cone inquired if O’Neill still received residual checks for his appearance on the show, which aired in 1995.
O’Neill confirmed that he indeed still gets paid, but the amount was surprisingly low. “Yes. Do you know what they are? They’re like 57 bucks,” he said, eliciting laughter from his colleagues in the booth.
O’Neill’s Seinfeld role evokes Yankees memories
The former Yankees right fielder elaborated on the modest sum, noting that while it wasn’t a substantial amount, it served as a pleasant reminder of his enjoyable experience on the show.
Kay humorously pointed out that the residual checks could potentially cover the cost of a glass of wine at a high-end restaurant, to which O’Neill agreed.
In the Seinfeld episode titled “The Wink,” O’Neill’s character was tasked by Kramer to hit two home runs in a game for a hospitalized child. After hitting one homer, the star appeared to have hit an inside-the-park home run, but the play was ultimately scored as a triple and an error.
O’Neill was just one of several Yankees players who made appearances on Seinfeld throughout its run. Other notable Yankees guest stars included Danny Tartabull, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and manager Buck Showalter.
Interestingly, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner also taped a scene for the show, but it never made it to air. However, a fictional version of Steinbrenner, voiced by Larry David, appeared in multiple episodes of the series.
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