(PHOTO: New Era)

The Yankees will celebrate longtime center fielder Bernie Williams on Sunday, retiring his No. 51 and adding a plaque in his honor to Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park. And in keeping with a recent tradition established for Mariano Rivera and maintained for Derek Jeter, the club will honor Williams with a patch on their caps.

Bernie Williams (PHOTO: Kathy Willens/AP Photo)

Williams, who didn’t formally retire until last month, played parts of 16 seasons in pinstripes. Though, for whatever reason, he was traditionally excluded from the team’s lauded “Core 4” — Jeter, Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada — he starred on Yankee teams that won the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. And though Jeter maintained a reputation for clutch performances in the playoffs, Williams actually has a slight edge over his longtime teammate in career postseason OPS: .850 to .838.

(PHOTO: New Era)