Yankees Legend Bernie Williams Talks World Series, Post-Retirement And That Astros Sweep

The photo tells it all. Former MLB star and Yankees lifer Bernie Williams is living the life. After 16 MLB seasons with the Bronx Bombers, with included an American League batting title and four World Series trophies, the longtime centerfielder is enjoying a life after baseball that includes music.

The 54-year-old San Juan, Puerto Rico native is a classically trained guitarist whose style combining jazz, classical, pop music and Latin sounds has landed him on recordings alongside well-known maestros like Jon Secada and even Bruce Springsteen.

As a Yankee, Williams says he often brought his guitar along on road trips. But it was after his baseball days concluded, in 2006, that his musical inclinations grew and expanded into new styles.

“When my playing career ended, it became more of a full-time passion, and I had a lot more time to practice, compose original songs, and create some new arrangements of some jazz, blues and even pop classics.

His efforts in music led to the composition and release of two albums, the second of which, titled Moving Forward, got a Grammy Awards nod. The 2009 release also made it on to five different Billboard charts, the magazine’s main pop chart, the Billboard 200, while snagging the No. 2 spot atop the Top Contemporary Jazz chart, in 2010.

Along with enjoying music and baseball, Williams also says that now that he is in his fifties, optimal health and a good quality of life are extremely important to him.

“I have always felt it is a privilege to use my position as an athlete and a musician to be active in the community and support important causes that are important to me, as well as my teammates, fellow musicians, and colleagues in business,” Williams said during our interview this week.

He added that one condition in particular, liver disease, has affected several members of his family, including his mom, uncle, and grandfather.

As such, Williams has teamed up with a nonprofit called Blue Faery aka The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association, along with Global Liver Institute and Eisai Pharmaceutical to promote their One Liver To Love campaign. The partnership provides education and support to people living with liver cancer as well as their caregivers.

Williams says much of his role as a spokesperson involves what he calls the simple but “significant things that impact liver health,” such as “nutrition, exercise, sleep, and mental health.”

I spoke at length with Williams this week, not only about off-the-field projects and his time with the Yankees, but also his thoughts on the 2022 World Series, in which the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros are currently tied at a game apiece. Game 3 of the series is scheduled for Monday night.

Andy Frye: The Phillies entered as underdogs facing the Astros in the Series. How can Philadelphia beat Houston?

Bernie Williams: The Phillies are a perfect example of a team that has come together and gotten red hot at the right time. To think that you have a third-place team that didn’t even win 90 games—now three wins away from a World Championship.

They have two aces in Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, a gritty bullpen that has been lights out when it counts the most, and have firepower in their lineup, with Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, and an iconic superstar in Bryce Harper, who seems to be relishing his role as a team leader and backing it up with his performance.

The Astros are as complete a team as you will see, but as everyone’s clearly seen in this postseason, right now the Phillies are capable of beating anyone. They marched through the National League—including taking down the reigning World Champions—and I believe they have a good shot to win it all. I expect a long, tough World Series. I hope it’s a classic.

AF: With New York, you won a batting title and four World Series. What were your proudest moments as a Yankee?

Williams: Well, it’s pretty hard to top winning a World Championship, and I feel so fortunate to have played in six World Series and won four of them. But hands down, without hesitation, my proudest moment as a Yankee was something that didn’t even happen on the field.

The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on our city was a life-changing event for all of us and thinking back. When we were all trying to process all this, playing baseball was the last thing on my mind. While our games were on hold our entire team gathered, and we all headed down in buses to lower Manhattan.

We were able to go to the hospitals and visit with those injured in the attack, and the first responders who were housed at the Javitz Center, but what struck me most was our very first visit to the city when we arrived at the old Armory, which was converted to a center where families gathered, bringing personal artifacts and DNA samples of their loved ones to match with recovered remains.

Related story: Derek Jeter says baseball prepared him for business

While our visit was not a long one, we saw that for even a brief moment that we were able to lift their spirits, with everyone supporting them, and praying for them. That was where we were supposed to be at the time.

AF: As a Yankees lifer, it must have been tough to see them get swept. What do you see happening for the club, Aaron Judge, manager Aaron Boone?

It’s never easy to see your season come to an end, and the Yankees truly ran into a buzzsaw with an Astros team that outplayed them.

They were the better team in that series, but this is a Yankee team that won 99 games and the division title, and earlier in the season—when running on all cylinders—looked unbeatable most days and drew comparisons to our 1998 team that won 125 games and a World Championship. Injuries to key players certainly decimated the team, especially losing DJ LeMahieu and Andrew Benintendi, (and) their bullpen was much to overcome. Still, I have no doubts they will examine their biggest needs and re-load, and field a team next season that will have a chance to win the World Series.

Aaron Judge had one of the most remarkable and complete seasons in baseball history – and to perform at his very best when he decided to bet on himself by not signing a contract extension in his walk year – is a right he has earned as a player, and now he will become a free agent and has the ability to choose where he wants to play for the next several years.

I believe, and truly hope he remains a Yankee for life – where he has a chance to become the next team captain and follow in the footsteps of great Yankees like Thurman Munson, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Don Mattingly, and Derek Jeter.

Aaron Boone has one of the most prestigious jobs you can have in all of sports – manager of the most storied franchise in the history of baseball. The Yankees have reached the postseason every year Aaron has been leading this club. I think he continues to learn and grow each year, and has unfinished business he has earned the right to pursue.

AF: Music is a huge part of your life. Talk about that and your Grammy nod.

Williams: I started playing music and baseball at the same time, at about 8 years old. My dad, who was a merchant marine and traveled the world, brought a guitar back from Spain and soon after, he taught me how to play—and that was all it took. I was hooked on music.

I went on to attend a performing arts high school in my native Puerto Rico and while I did go on to sign a contract to play professional baseball, music remained a big part of my life, and I always had my guitar with me on the road. I released my first studio album, The Journey Within in 2003, after recording it in the off-season.

I released a second album, Moving Forward, in 2009, which contained many of the songs I had written in the time I had stopped playing baseball. I had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the best musicians in the business on this album, like Jon Secada, Dave Koz, Mike Stern, Scott Henderson to name just a few. We even added a live bonus track I performed with Bruce Springsteen and there’s an acoustic version of “Glory Days” that was recorded at Joe Torre’s Safe at Home Foundation dinner. Plus, my instrumental ballad version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” became a classic finale to all my live performances.

Read Frye’s Q&As with Rhys Hoskins and Derek Jeter.

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