Major League Baseball and teams across the sports world paused Friday to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, featuring on-field tributes, community service at Citi Field, and an emotional pregame ceremony at Yankee Stadium attended by families and 2001 team leaders.
Major League Baseball and sports organizations nationwide marked the quarter-century milestone of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with a coordinated series of commemorative events, community projects, and on-field remembrances. In New York, the Major League Baseball and New York Mets co-hosted a meal-packing event at Citi Field alongside the nonprofit 9/11 Day as part of the UNITE for Good initiative.
That morning service effort brought together former players, including Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, David Wright, Al Leiter, John Franco, Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile, Adam Ottavino, and Dellin Betances, alongside MLB Network personnel, college athletes, and local volunteers. Across the league, players, managers, coaches, and umpires wore caps featuring a We Shall Never Forget
side patch. The Toronto Blue Jays wore caps displaying both American and Canadian flags, while the New York Yankees and New York Mets wore first-responder caps during their Subway Series opener at Yankee Stadium.
Yankee Stadium Ceremony Recalls 2001 Run and Personal Bonds
Before the first pitch in the Bronx, Yankees manager Aaron Boone joined Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole to lay a wreath at the memorial in Monument Park. The pregame program also brought back members of the 2001 Yankees team that reached the World Series just weeks after the attacks.
Manager Joe Torre led out former team leaders Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera. The ceremony highlighted the personal connections forged in the aftermath of the tragedy, featuring Brielle Saracini. At age 10, Saracini lost her father, Victor Saracini, who piloted United flight 175 into the South Tower. Prompted by a friend, she wrote a letter to Jeter, beginning a lifelong friendship with the former Yankees captain.
“I remember just talking about anything and everything and anything that kind of came through my mind that day and you just made it so comfortable and I remember just feeling normal for a day, which was hard to do.”
Brielle Saracini, via NBC Sports
Saracini was joined on the field by her husband, Sean McGuire, whose father died working on the 84th floor of the South Tower. The couple met at Camp Better Days, a support camp for children who lost parents on 9/11, and married in 2017. Together, they threw out the ceremonial first pitches to current players Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt while the 2001 team veterans stood behind the mound.
Lasting Traditions and the Complex Legacy of “God Bless America”
The anniversary also renewed attention on baseball’s post-9/11 traditions, most notably the seventh-inning performance of Irving Berlin’s God Bless America
. While Major League Baseball eventually lifted its directive requiring the song at every game after the 2002 and 2003 seasons, nytimes.com where the song has been performed during every home game.
Team officials emphasized the enduring nature of the practice.
“It’s a beautiful moment every night to reflect and to thank the veterans for their service and honor them and America.”
Randy Levine, Yankees President, via The Athletic
Over the years, the tradition has experienced public friction and legal adjustments.
Broader Tributes Across Collegiate and Professional Sports
Beyond Major League Baseball, college athletic programs marked the anniversary with specialized uniform designs and commemorative tributes. Boston College and Rutgers met in a special Friday night football matchup where Rutgers wore red jerseys and white helmets displaying the number 37 with an American flag inside to honor 37 alumni lost in the attacks.
