Mets, Yankees come together to commemorate 9/11 anniversary
The Mets host a 9/11 remembrance ceremony on the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks before an MLB game against the Yankees at Citi Field on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Before a mere baseball game with playoff implications for both teams, the Mets and Yankees took the day’s greater sentiment Saturday and made it physical, literal, unmistakable.
They highlighted an emotional and elaborate pregame ceremony, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, with a symbolic gesture before the national anthem. Coming together as one New York, they lined up in front of their respective dugouts and then mixed in among each other with handshakes and hugs — and stayed there.
As the NYPD Cops and Kids Chorus sang "The Star-Spangled Banner," players on the rival teams in different boroughs stood beside each other. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were on either side of Brandon Nimmo, Gleyber Torres was between Pete Alonso and Javier Baez, and so on.
"It really is such a special thing to have both New York teams playing against each other this year," Alonso said beforehand. "This is a truly special event, not just for New York but for our country."
Such was the pregame — and even in-game — theme. The occasion’s first standing ovation was for the police officers and others who carried large American flags onto the field. There were bagpipes, "America the Beautiful" in addition to the anthem, and periodic "U-S-A" chants from a jam-packed Citi Field crowd. Bobby Valentine, manager of the 2001 Mets, and Joe Torre, his Yankees counterpart, threw out the first pitches.
Joining representatives from a variety of first-responder agencies were members of the 2001 Mets, including Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, John Franco, Al Leiter, Edgardo Alfonzo, Rey Ordonez, Todd Zeile, Lenny Harris, Steve Trachsel, Glendon Rusch, Jay Payton, Mark Johnson and Mookie Wilson.
Among the organizations represented on the field were Tuesday’s Children, which works with families directly impacted by Sept. 11; the New York Police and Fire Widows’ & Children Benefit Fund, a group founded by late Mets star Rusty Staub; and the FealGood Foundation, helping those who suffered from Sept. 11-related illnesses.
Also involved were Mets employees who lost loved ones in the attacks and those who helped man the Shea Stadium site assisting the support effort.
"It’s a wonderful thing we continue to do, honor them on this day. I don’t think it gets any easier as the years go by," Piazza said. "But the positive effect is you see a lot of outpouring of love and affection, the same sentiments that I think we had after the attacks in the city. Unfortunately, you do have to experience tragedy to see triumph and see courage and bravery.
"As much as I’m sad to see and remember the events, it’s still uplifting to continue to reflect on the positive stories that did come out of it. But again, it doesn’t really get much easier."
Come game time, both teams wore hats representing first-responder agencies: FDNY, NYPD, Port Authority Police Department, Department of Sanitation and Department of Correction. The Mets wore special uniforms, styled after the 2001 versions, with "New York" written across the front instead of "Mets."
Alonso has been the catalyst behind the Mets’ recent Sept. 11 remembrances. In 2019, as a rookie, frustrated by MLB historically not allowing the team to wear first-responder hats, Alonso ordered custom-made cleats for everyone, decorated with various patriotic symbols and words. Last year, the special hats returned.
Before heading to the ballpark, Alonso visited Ground Zero, "a really sobering sight," he said. "It’s not just today that people are suffering. People go through those pains and scars every day."
There were the where-were-you stories of the tragedy that, as Alfonzo put it, "changed the whole world"; the ceremonies at the World Trade Center, as Franco observed from his apartment a block away, and for Luis Rojas, explaining the meaning to his 8-year-old son, Luis Felipe.
"It’s very important to not only recall, remember and reflect, but also to educate the next generation. And teach them what transpired," Piazza said. "The general lessons should be that life is precious. Life could be short. You have to love the people around you every day, because we know and we’ve experienced that. It can end very quickly. The sadness of that was relevant and prevalent that week."
