NEW YORK -- Bernie Williams had been long excluded from the Yankees' proverbial "Core Four" of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Marino Rivera, even though Williams was an important part of their last championship era.
So before Williams was set to officially retire before Friday's game against the Mets, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman wanted to coin a term that included Williams in the group.
"To set the record straight," Cashman said. "Bernie is part of the Fab Five."
Williams was not a part of New York's World Series winning team in 2009, when the phrase was born, although he said it never bothered him to be excluded.