BRONX, NY — You can revive some great moments in baseball and reminisce about the good, then yours truly and many of my generation never forget those tragic events from 25 years ago.
The nation stopped because of terrorist attacks on our freedom. We all came to a stop when innocent lives were taken in New York, Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Twenty five years after the world changed forever, the Mets and Yankees met at Yankee Stadium Friday night with the Yankees winning by a final score of 6-4 – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Baseball came to a halt, doubts that a schedule in September of 2001 would resume. More importantly, a nation of people came together and united for their freedom. Then something happened, baseball returned.
The Mike Piazza go-ahead home run at Shea Stadium in the eighth inning, leading to a Mets win over the Braves 10 days removed from the tragedy that we will never forget. An iconic home run as baseball resumed in New York, a night that was solemn and a memorial to the victims and unsung heroes of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), New York City Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and much more uniformed service personnel.
It’s been 25 years since and we still mourn. So many of this generation and ballplayers on the field Friday evening at Yankee Stadium were too young to remember. They only hear the stories of horror, and attempt to do their part now such as visiting fire houses in the NYC area to commemorate and honor those who served and protected.
And 25 years later in the Bronx at 161st Street and East River Avenue, there was the proper way to remember, reflect, and honor those who were no longer with us.
Ironic that the MLB baseball schedule had this weekend picked for the Mets and Yankees to be on the field and play for bragging rights.
Many Mets and Yankees playing on the field this weekend in the Subway Series were not yet born when the 9/11 attacks took place in 2001 – Image Credit: Joel Rodriguez/Latino Sports
This was different though, many in the Yankees Stadium capacity crowd were too young, not born yet to understand how baseball healed a nation in mourning. They see the videos and hear the stories, perhaps they understand now this was more than the Mets vs. Yankees.
In a pre-game ceremony that was touching, members of the Yankees’ 2001 American League pennant winning team that lost an early November World Series to the Diamondbacks stood by the pitchers mound with their jerseys and uniform numbers. The icons—Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre, Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Mariano Rivera and the captain Derek Jeter who got the loudest ovation, the latter two also Cooperstown HOF inductees.
“The games got cancelled, and my initial thought was, ‘We’re not going to come back and play,” Jeter said after the pre-game ceremonies. “‘What does baseball mean?’ and then you had a chance to meet a lot of family members who’d lost loved ones.”
Members of the 2001 American League pennant winning team—Joe Torre, Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Mariano Rivera and the captain Derek Jeter—made their way behind the pitchers mound for Friday night’s pre-game ceremony – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Jeter reunited with Brielle Saracini, then 10-years-old, her father Victor was the captain of United Fight 175 that directly hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center. They never lost contact after she wrote a letter to Jeter three days after the tragedy. They stood together in unity with members of that 2001 team. Years later Brielle went on to marry Sean McGuire who she met at Camp Better Days, an organization that brought together children who lost loved ones on 9/11, as McGuire lost his father Patrick.
The Yankees and Mets played on September 11 back in 2021. But this was different because it was 25 years later.
Aaron Judge and Marcus Semien sharing a moment at second base during Friday night’s Subway Series opener in the Bronx – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
It was that type of evening in the Bronx, a New York baseball rivalry played second to the events of 25 years ago. Chants of USA, a large American Flag unfolded in the outfield, God Bless America and unity as it was after September 11, 2001.
“Having lived through the time as a baseball player feels like an honor to be out there tonight,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “Obviously as a club we’re playing for a lot. A lot of people were here having a great time on a night for many that is a difficult day obviously.”
Said interim Mets manager Andy Green who watched highlights of that Piazza home run before Friday’s Subway Series opener: “There’s moments where sports transcends entertainment and that was one of them and has played a huge part in our country’s healing from that day. There’s some things that are much bigger than just the game we have the privilege of playing and being a part of.”
Fans showed up early at Yankee Stadium Friday night with signs and flags to honor the victims of September 11, 2001 – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The Yankees played their ballgame as every game is significant and a win to keep pace with the American League East division leading Rays. They led from the start, a resurged Mets team crawled back and eventually lost the first of three, 6-4.
Players from both teams wore caps of the FDNY, NYPD, and first responders.
Boone wore caps of all uniformed services and opted with the FDNY for the game, he visited a firehouse with some of his players earlier and became emotional. Emotional too for the players who were too young to witness the tragedy or weren’t born yet.
They only know about the events from watching videos of when the towers were struck and hear the stories from those who were impacted.
With Friday night’s 6-4 win, the Yankees improved to 85-62 on the year while the Mets dropped to 68-79 – Image Credit: Joel Rodriguez/Latino Sports
“Time for families who lost close ones, tough ones always,” said Yankees’ José Caballero, 30 of Las Tablas, Panama. “I was too young to remember.” He had his immediate family on the field during batting practice Friday with hugs all around.
To Mets’ Christopher Morel, the 27-year-old Santiago, Dominican Republic native hardly remembers as a one-year-old in the Dominican. He heard the stories and watched the videos.
“With the situation and the history, I learned some of the history when I came to the United States in the minor leagues,” Morel said. “Super special to be here playing in New York, to be here with my family here and in this special game.”
Game 2 of the final installment of the 2026 Subway Series is scheduled for 1:35pm ET Saturday afternoon with LHP Zac Thornton (3-5, 3.53 ERA) and RHP Gerrit Cole (8-8, 3.41 ERA) on the mound – Image Credit: Latino Sports
It was not celebratory. A championship wasn’t won though the Yankees are close to clinching another postseason spot. As Morel said this was a special game. It was baseball to be played as it was 25 years ago in New York.
And it was reflecting and paying homage to those who could not be here.
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and columnist at LatinoSports.com with coverage of MLB, boxing, and MLS – X: @Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
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