25 years later… How baseball united a nation after 9/11 attacks

BY JACOB BACK 

Multimedia Journalist 

It’s been 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But it's also been 25 years since a nation covered in grief became united over a few weeks of baseball.

Just ten days after the attacks, fans filled Shea Stadium in New York City for a game between the Mets and Atlanta Braves. Tributes, signs and emotions poured in from both fanbases, banning together for the common support for their nation.

“Every American was shocked by the disastrous events of Sept. 11. But for New Yorkers, this attack was even more personal. Many of us had families or other loved ones who were touched by the tragedy,” members of the 2001 New York Mets said in a video played on the big screen before the national anthem.

“And all of us know someone among the thousands of brave, committed volunteers and rescue personnel who have come together in lower Manhattan. And at this time, we ask that you please rise, remove your caps and join us in a moment of silent reflection and prayer. In memory of the victims, in support of their families and on behalf of everyone who has been hurt by these attacks.” 

Following this came the national anthem, the first pitch and the first inning. But it wasn’t until the bottom of the eighth inning that Shea Stadium roared in applause of the Mets’ Mike Piazza hitting a home run.

The home run led the Mets over the Braves, 3-2, eventually becoming the decisive blow and sending a full stadium of hurting Americans into one of the more unique moments in sports history.

Moments before Piazza took the plate and swung the tide of the game, John Smoltz, the Atlanta Braves pitcher, reflected on the moment in an interview on The MLB Network’s “High Heat.”

“I was in the bullpen, getting ready, stretching. I think I might have even been throwing and Piazza was up,” Smoltz said.

Piazza, who was interviewed alongside Smoltz, sat down to rewatch the clip of what would become an indelible moment of healing for New York City. 

What most people don't know about this play is that the current pitcher threw over to first, trying to catch a pickoff, moments before, which shook Piazza up and altered the course of the game. 

“I think when he threw over, he took me out of my zone a little bit and put me to sleep,” Piazza said. “And then I just locked up and then I just froze.”

Following this historic hit, fans on the mezzanine level said they could feel the massive concrete structure move side to side from the thunderous roars and jumping. 

“That was the most captivating moment in my lifetime,” Bobby Valentine, the Mets manager at the time, said.

Following the Mets’ historic win for New York City, 39 days later, New York’s other professional baseball team, the Yankees, also turned in an unforgettable moment in their first game post 9/11.

Before game three of the 2001 World Series, President George W. Bush threw out a first pitch that embodied the strength of the American people.

Bush, wearing a bulletproof vest and an FDNY pullover and with the whole stadium chanting “U-S-A,” reminded the crowd—and the nation—of one thing.

"No matter what the threat may be to us, the United States of America will stand strong and will never be intimidated,” Bush said.

Both games hold significant value in the healing of America after the 9/11 attacks. Baseball has always been a strong competition, pitting Americans against one another for a hopeful victory for their teams. But for a moment in time, America was rooting for one collective team: itself.

The Mets and Yankees games of that time showed the strength, resilience, courage and unity of the American people, and it still shows how connected we can be when we put our heads together and how simply hitting a ball over a fence can unite a nation in grief.