Counting down the Top 10 NY sports stories of 2021: No. 9 - 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks

Mets and Yankees, and other NY athletes, remembered and honored those who lost their lives

12/23/2021, 2:15 PM
Mets and Yankees on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. / USA TODAY Sports/SNY Treated Image
Mets and Yankees on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. / USA TODAY Sports/SNY Treated Image

We're counting down the Top 10 New York sports stories of 2021. Here's No. 9...


On the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Mets and Yankees took the field in Queens, and while the interleague rivals have butted heads plenty of times over the years, they both donned the same letters across their chests, a show of unity, on this Saturday night:

“New York.”

Prior to the first pitch, 13 players from the 2001 Mets, including John Franco, Al Leiter, and Bobby Valentine, took the field to help remember all those who lost their lives in the attacks. Valentine and former Yankees manager Joe Torre even threw out the ceremonial first pitches.

Wearing hats to support New York first responders (which they also wore during the game), the Mets and Yankees shook hands before lining up side-by-side for the national anthem.

Both Pete Alonso and Mike Piazza spoke to the media ahead of the matchup. Alonso, who visited Ground Zero earlier in the day, helped organize teammates to wear commemorative 9/11 cleats in 2019, and Piazza, or course, hit one of the most memorable home runs in Mets history against Steve Karsay in the first professional sports game played in New York following the attacks 20 years ago.

"Today obviously is an extremely emotional and special day, not just for us players, not just for everyone here in New York, but a very emotional and special day in a lot of ways for our entire country," Alonso said.

"Going to Ground Zero today was really an emotional roller coaster for me. Seeing everything and people there paying their respects for loved ones, fallen comrades. It's really a sobering sight. For me to just be able to show my respects for everybody involved in that day, and people who were involved every moment after with the cleanup and the search and rescue teams, it's just truly remarkable."

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Piazza added: “I don't think it really gets any easier as the years go on. I think time sort of has a healing effect. For me, especially when this day comes by every year, it is difficult to kind of look back. The images for me and for I'm sure a lot of people, are very vivid in their mind.

"I think it's a wonderful thing that we do to continue to honor them on this day. I don't think it gets, as I said it, any easier as the years goes by. The positive effect is that you see a lot about the outpouring of love and affection, and the same sentiments that I think we had after the attacks in the city. Unfortunately, you do have to experience tragedy to see triumph, and see courage and bravery. As much as I'm sad to see and remember the sad events, it's still uplifting to see the positive stories that came out of that week."

The Yankees came away with an 8-7 win, but the night was about so much more than the game on the field.

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