New York – On Friday, Yankee Stadium hosted a moving tribute to the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Brielle Saracini, now 31, stepped onto the mound to throw the ceremonial first pitch. Her father, Victor Saracini, was the pilot of United Flight 175, which was hijacked and crashed into the South Tower.
Inspired by a friend’s encouragement, Saracini wrote to former Yankees captain Derek Jeter years ago. Their correspondence blossomed into a lasting friendship, and Jeter welcomed her to the stadium for this special ceremony.
Family ties and shared loss
Beside Saracini stood her husband, Sean McGuire, who also lost his father on 9/11. The couple met at a camp for children who lost parents in the attacks and married in 2017. Together they tossed a ball to Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger during the ceremony.
“I remember just talking about anything and everything that day and you made it comfortable,” Saracini said at the post‑game news conference. “The odds were stacked against me, but I felt like a kid again.”
Yankees legends join the tribute
Derek Jeter, who watched from the mound, expressed his desire to make the day special for Saracima. “When we invited her, you really don’t know what to say. I just tried to make her day feel special and introduce her to the players,” he said.
Former Yankees greats—Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius—stood behind the couple, along with manager Joe Torre. The ceremony also featured a rendition of “The Star‑Spangled Banner” by tenor James Valenti and a massive American flag unfurled in center field.
Game highlights
The Yankees defeated the crosstown Mets 6‑4, continuing a tradition of playing on September 11. Highlights of the 2001 postseason, including Jeter’s walk‑off home run in Game 4 of the World Series, were shown. Mets interim manager Andy Green praised the joint effort, saying Major League Baseball “got this one right.”
In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, Yankees players visited Manhattan fire stations and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, underscoring the team’s commitment to honoring the victims and first responders.
Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.
