On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, former New York Mets and Yankees veterans gathered to reflect on how the tragedy changed their clubs and the city they love. Their stories highlight the role baseball played in helping New Yorkers heal and the enduring sense of duty felt by players, coaches, and staff.
Mets in Pittsburgh: A Silent Return
When the attacks occurred, the Mets were on the road in Pittsburgh preparing for a series against the Pirates. Former pitcher John Franco explained that Major League Baseball ordered the team to relocate to a safer area, moving the squad to the suburbs near Robert Morris College until it was deemed safe to travel back to New York.
“We took a ten‑hour bus trip back from Pittsburgh,” recalled Mets media relations executive Jay Horwitz. “As soon as we crossed the George Washington Bridge, the bus was completely silent from the bridge to Shea Stadium.” The silence lasted five to ten minutes, a moment Todd Zeile described as feeling like an hour.
Upon arrival, Shea Stadium had been converted into a relief‑distribution center. With games suspended, former manager Bobby Valentine said the team faced an uncertain landscape. “Do something. That was the call. No one knew what to do. There was no playbook,” he said.
Franco noted that twenty‑five players volunteered after practice, unloading tractor‑trailers and assisting wherever needed at Ground Zero. Hall of Famer Mike Piazza added, “A baseball team like the Mets affects the community. No one told us to do it; we felt a responsibility.” Valentine called that effort his proudest moment as a leader, saying the group of men “stood tall” in the face of tragedy.
First Game Back: A Symbolic Return
Baseball returned to New York on September 21, when the Mets hosted the Atlanta Braves. Former pitcher Al Leiter recalled the atmosphere as “the pomp and circumstance of a World Series,” while former shortstop Todd Zeile said the game felt like “playoff baseball, all for the wrong reasons.” The night is remembered for Piazza’s dramatic eighth‑inning home run, which many fans saw as a sign of hope.
Leiter summed up the sentiment, “For the men we lost that day, we can never forget. We can’t allow it to be forgotten.” Zeile agreed, noting the simple but powerful phrase “Never Forget” captured the collective resolve.
Yankees Remember: From Shock to Resolve
Former Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte described waking up to his wife’s alarm about something terrible, then watching the second plane strike on television. Former manager Joe Torre said the attacks put baseball into stark perspective: “It was a numbness when you saw what was taking place. All of a sudden, baseball was not important.”
Major League Baseball suspended play until September 17. Former outfielder Paul O’Neill recalled seeing smoke from Ground Zero as the league prepared to resume. Pettitte described returning to the field as surreal, saying, “It almost seemed wrong to go back to playing baseball again.”
Torre reminded his players that the “NY” on their caps represented more than a team; it symbolized the entire city and a responsibility to its people. As the season progressed, the Yankees carried that emotion into the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3, a moment O’Neill called “one of the most memorable things” he’d ever seen.
Although the Diamondbacks won the series in seven games, former Yankees emphasized that the championship meant far more than a trophy. O’Neill said the three games in New York will be remembered for what they meant to the city and the world, not for the final outcome. Torre added, “Those three games made it the most exciting World Series because of who we were doing it in front of.”
Enduring Memory
Twenty‑five years later, both Mets and Yankees veterans agree that the memory of September 11 remains vivid and unchanged. O’Neill summed it up: “Some things don’t go away with time, and this is one of them because the world will never forget, and the people of New York will never forget.”
The reflections from these former players and coaches underscore how baseball served as a unifying force for New Yorkers in the aftermath of tragedy, reinforcing the sport’s deep ties to community, faith, and the enduring American spirit.
Original reporting: Brookhaven News – ABC7 New York — read the source article.
