The following article will give away some additional answers to Thursday’s crossword puzzle in The New York Times. Proceed at your own curiosity.

Brian Wilson, the one-of-a-kind closer for the champion San Francisco Giants, has an abiding interest in crossword puzzles. He said that he started doing The New York Times crossword when he was 12, that he remembered “there would always be a sports star in there” and that he thought that one day he might succeed as a baseball player and then maybe he could be a clue, too.

Now he is, just in time for opening day. When Wilson’s teammates take the field in Los Angeles on Thursday to begin their season with a game against the Dodgers, it will complete a day that began with his inclusion in The Times puzzle. And just as he requested, he is a down clue, not across, although not, as he hoped, as 38-Down, which would have corresponded with his uniform number.

Actually, Wilson won’t even be in uniform because he is on the disabled list with a strained oblique muscle, although he could return shortly and will be with the team on Thursday. He is already 1-1 this season, his name in the puzzle but not on the roster. For those who’ve come to know and appreciate Wilson’s quirkiness, it sort of makes sense.