Frazier to ask O’Neill about number
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MINNEAPOLIS — The last guy who wore “The Warrior’s” old number got booed.
Now, Todd Frazier wants his shot at wearing Paul O’Neill’s No. 21.
“I was a big Paul O’Neill fan (growing up), that’s why I wear the No. 21,” said Frazier, who also reportedly grew up rooting for the Red Sox at the same time. “Hopefully I can talk to him, and maybe I can get the number before I get home.”
LaTroy Hawkins briefly wore No. 21 in 2008 before getting booed by Yankees fans and switching to No. 22. No. 21 is not retired by the Yankees.
Frazier, 31, of Toms River, N.J. Little League World Series championship fame, will be the team’s everyday third baseman.
In Wednesday afternoon’s 6-1 loss to the Twins, he struck out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and was hit in the right hand in the ninth. He said he was fine despite having a huge wrap over his hand.
Frazier called playing close to home a dream come true.
“I remember going to old Yankee Stadium all the time, in the upper deck, of course,” Frazier said. “The stadium would shake back and forth when something crazy would happen. I had a tryout there in high school. It’s going to be a cool homecoming for me when we get back home.”
Frazier has been hitting better of late, but he’s still unsatisfied by his .206/.329/.431 overall batting line.
“It’s not right where I want to be, to be honest with you,” he said. “I feel like I have a lot more that I can showcase. I think I did need a change of scenery and especially to come here: who can ask for a better scenario?” He is currently wearing No. 29. “I could,” Frazier said when asked if he could commute from the Jersey Shore. “It’s probably an hour-15, an hour-20. But the old saying, ‘You drive through Jersey, it’s great. But when you get to the city, it takes forever.’ I don’t mind going bumper to AP bumper with some cabs, but doing that every homestand, it’s going to be tough.”
Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle were all dealt from the last-place White Sox to the Bombers late Tuesday night. Their morning flight from Chicago to Minneapolis got delayed, so they didn’t arrive until early in the game. They all looked half-awake and groggyeyed in the clubhouse when it was over.
Robertson is thrilled to be wearing Yankee pinstripes again.
“Yesterday was kind of a whirlwind,” Robertson said. “You see all these rumors, you hear that you’re going to Boston, and then next thing you know you’re going right back to where you belong in New York.”
Robertson, 32, pitched for the Yankees from 200814, compiling a 2.81 ERA in 402 games.
“I’ve been here and I’ve won before,” said Robertson of getting back in playoff contention. “I want to win again. That’s all there is.”
Robertson is open to any role in the bullpen. “I don’t have a big ego so I’ll pitch whenever they need me to,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”
Kahnle, 27, a fifth-round pick of the Bombers back in 2010, pitched a scoreless eighth while striking out two and regularly touching 99 mph with his fastball. He’s enjoyed a breakout year, striking out 62 in 37 innings. Kahnle, who is wearing No. 48, credits mechanical adjustments for his success.
“I always dreamed once they drafted me, I would pitch for them in the big leagues,” Kahnle said. “That day has come. It was a rush, a quick rush. But I settled down once I got on the mound and made those first couple pitches.”