Bernie Williams, an Improbable Star in Center Field, Is Immortalized Just Beyond It

Bernie Williams, an Improbable Star in Center Field, Is Immortalized Just Beyond It

Bernie Williams, who won four World Series titles with the Yankees,
with catcher Brian McCann after throwing a ceremonial pitch
 in the Bronx on Sunday. CreditBill Kostroun/Associated Press

On July 5, 1991, Cal Ripken Jr. drove a pitch from the Yankees’ Tim Leary to the center-field wall at the old Yankee Stadium. Roberto Kelly chased after it, crashed into the fence and sprained his right wrist. Two days later, Bernie Williams was roaming center field in the Bronx.

This is how it often happens, an emergency leading to the realization of a dream. Williams’s career unfolded in ways he never could have imagined, with four championships, five All-Star selections and $103 million in career earnings. He never left the Yankees, and on Sunday, the team retired his No. 51.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that a skinny little 17-year-old kid from Puerto Rico could be here this day, in this celebration,” Williams said in his speech, before the Yankees fell to Texas, 5-2, for their 10th loss in 11 games. “I am overwhelmed.”