The 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks was marked at Yankee Stadium as the New York Yankees hosted the New York Mets for the Subway Series opener.
Seven members of the 2001 Yankees team, which reached the World Series in the wake of the attacks, were in attendance for the pre-game ceremonies. Among them were Hall of Famers Derek Jeter, Joe Torre, and Mariano Rivera, alongside Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, and Scott Brosius.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years,” Jeter said. “It changed the world forever.” Yankees manager Aaron Boone described the night as “huge,” acknowledging the significance of the occasion. “We understand the weight of today,” Boone stated before the game. “The 25th anniversary, two New York teams playing. It feels like an honor to go out there. There’s gonna be a lot of different emotions out there. We don’t take it lightly.”
New York Yankees player Cody Bellinger, whose father was on the 2001 Yankees team, expressed a personal connection to the anniversary. Bellinger was 6 years old and living in Connecticut when the attacks occurred. His father, Clay Bellinger, visited Ground Zero in the aftermath and later became a firefighter in Arizona.
“We talked about it today, that especially here, there will be a lot of people that have some connection to it,” Bellinger said. “It’s a special moment to be here for this. It’s one of those things that’s bigger than the game. We know it’s a pretty big game, but there will be more important things here tonight.”
The ceremony included first pitches thrown by Brielle Saracini and Sean McGuire, a married couple who each lost a father on Sept. 11. The two met as children at Camp Better Days, an organization supporting children affected by the attacks. Saracini shared a bond with Jeter, having met him shortly after the tragedy when she sent him a letter detailing her family’s loss. Jeter invited her to the Stadium that month, and they have maintained contact since.
Reflecting on the role sports played in the nation's recovery, Saracini noted its importance. “I can’t imagine a scenario where they were not being played,” she said. “It meant so much to so many people and gave us something to cheer about. It’s definitely what the country needed and what the country united around.”
