Yankees and their stars, including Derek Jeter, mark 9/11 anniversary during Subway Series
NEW YORK — Derek Jeter shook his head. The New York Yankees great and Hall of Fame shortstop thought about 9/11, New York City and the passage of time.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years,” Jeter said.
On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the New York Yankees and the New York Mets became the focus of the baseball world Friday, with players and coaches of the Yankees past and present joining a sold-out crowd of 47,410 at Yankee Stadium in remembering one of the darkest days in American history.
The final score — Yankees 6, Mets 4 — was mostly an afterthought to many.
“Certainly understand the weight of today,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
The Yankees brought out stars from the 2001 team, including Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Tino Martinez, Jorge Posada, Scott Brosius and Paul O’Neill.
In the afternoon, Boone, Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole placed a wreath next to a 9/11 memorial in Monument Park.
“You go back and think about that day,” Judge said. “I was a young kid, and kind of waking up and my parents are telling me what’s going on, the acts of terrorism that happened. I just remember my mom saying that some bad men did some bad things but there’s a lot of heroes out there right now that are standing up and doing the right thing.
“So to get a chance to represent everybody that gave the ultimate sacrifice, it means a lot.”
American flags were displayed by fans in the sold-out crowd for the Subway Series opener on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. (Elsa / Getty Images)
Fans packed the stands, many of them donning red, white and blue. A half-dozen American flags dotted the bleachers in right-center field.
All of the 31 American flags that rim the frieze atop Yankee Stadium were at half-mast. Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the U.S.A.” before the first pitch.
The club also painted the interlocking “NY” behind home plate red and blue with white stars — the same pattern used Sept. 25, 2001, the Yankees’ first home game once the MLB season resumed after a weeklong stoppage after the attacks, the largest of which took place 10 miles south at the World Trade Center.
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Chants of “U-S-A” broke out after the national anthem.
“It just shows how awesome our fans are and, I think, how awesome our country is as well,” Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean said.
“I think we honored everybody as well as possible today,” interim Mets manager Andy Green said.
But there also was controversy.
A fan waving a Palestinian flag and wearing a jersey that read “No Kings” ran onto the field and was tackled by security in center field at 9:11 p.m. ET, delaying the game in the top of the seventh inning. As the man was taken off the field and past the wall in center field, fans threw drinks and cans of beer at him.
Chants of “U-S-A” started after that, too.
Players and coaches wore hats representing the New York Fire Department, the New York Police Department and the Port Authority Police Department. Yankees first baseman Ben Rice and left fielder Cody Bellinger used bats that featured the FDNY logo on the barrel. Bellinger’s father, Clay, who won two World Series rings with the Yankees, is currently a fireman in Glendale, Ariz.
“Just a nice little touch to be able to swing those,” Rice said.
From left, Derek Jeter, Brielle Saracini and her husband, Sean McGuire, both of whom lost their fathers in the attacks. Saracini wrote to Jeter days after 9/11, and he invited her to a game. (Elsa / Getty Images)
Brielle Saracini and her husband, Sean McGuire, were also honored with ceremonial first pitches. They each lost their fathers on 9/11.
Saracini was 10 years old when her father, Victor, died; he was the captain of United Flight 175, which was directed into the South Tower. McGuire’s father, Patrick, was working on the 84th floor of the South Tower. The pair met at Camp Better Days, which supported children who lost parents on 9/11.
Three days after the attacks, Saracini wrote a letter to Jeter detailing the loss of her father, and he invited her to attend a game. Saracini, now 35, and Jeter have maintained a relationship. Jeter even recorded an inspirational message for Saracini as she battled cancer.
Jeter said that in the days after 9/11, he didn’t know what to do.
“As an athlete,” he said, “it was the first time I said to myself, ‘Why am I even playing?’ The games got canceled, and my initial thought was, ‘We’re not going to come back and play. What does baseball mean?’
“And then you had a chance to meet a lot of family members who lost loved ones, and Brielle’s right at the top of the list because I got to know her.”
“It’s amazing to think that if there wasn’t a season, or if the season wasn’t finished, how my entire life and trajectory would have changed,” Saracini said.
Before Friday night’s game, Boone said, he made it a point to speak with Yankees players about the importance of 9/11. He noted that some players were young when it happened but had memories of it. Others, such as 21-year-old Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr., hadn’t been born. Boone said Yankees coaching assistant Brett Weber put together a video for players to watch, reflecting on the tragedy.
“There are things we get consumed with while playing (baseball),” Boone said. “It’s our livelihood. We pour so much into it. But there are always days that lend perspective.”
— Will Sammon contributed to this report.