With today marking the 20th anniversary of the tragic 9/11 events that unfolded in New York City, I wanted to write something special to remember that horrific day, and the following days, that so many wish to forget. 9/11 needs no explaining, but as time moves on, more and more people are only aware of it through history books and special programs on television. I myself was only in 5th grade when the tragedy occurred, but even though I was just a kid, I was old enough to be able to take a wealth of memories from it. I think it’s very important for people like me who lived through it and have memories of it to share with those who are either too young to remember, or weren’t even alive yet. This way it becomes less of another forgotten historical event and more of story that will stick with Americans forever so we’ll be able to continue to learn and grow as a united country from it.

After the planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City that Tuesday morning in 2001, the world came to a stand-still. Many people throughout the country were absolutely shocked that a terrorist attack of that magnitude could actually take place on U.S. soil. As Americans, we didn’t exactly know what to do or think. We were stunned. We were mad. We were sad. “What do we do now?,” was the question on everyone’s mind. With so many questions, however, Americans knew a few things were for certain: we need to come together, we need to be strong, and we need to try to get back to normalcy as soon as we can. And while a sense of normalcy was seemingly impossible in the following days of 9/11, there was one night that helped a lot of people, especially New Yorkers, do just that. A baseball game.

Understandably, Major League Baseball was shut down entirely for a week after the attacks. With such a tragic event affecting so many people, American citizens needed time to mourn, think, and heal. But after a week off, it was time for baseball to get back to action, as difficult as that may have been for many players and coaches. The day was September 21st, ten days after the attack, that the first major league sporting event since that deadly day, took place in New York City. It was America’s favorite pastime and it was the New York Mets welcoming the Atlanta Braves.

The scene was surreal. More than 41,000 fans attended the game at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. Many were skeptical to even attend the game, with thoughts of another possible attack racing through their minds. After all, they thought, so many people gathered together in one place would make great target for a follow-up attack. But the people also knew we needed to heal, and what better way to take your mind off things and heal than going to a baseball game. So the stadium was packed with baseball fans, as well as many first responders who’s heroics days earlier will never be taken for granted, and invited families who had just lost loved ones.

All day leading up to the game, there was a sense of something special in the air. This was not going to be an ordinary baseball game. And that sense became a lot more justified when fans started to arrive to the ballpark with police and security all around them. Bomb sniffing dogs were put to use and everyone was thoroughly checked of all their belongings before entering the park. There were even snipers on top of the stadium just in case they happened to be needed. I’m sure it all provided a sense of fear just as much as it provided a sense of safety.

The feeling that this game was going to be something special became even more clear as the teams prepared to take the field. Players and coaches from both teams took to the field to embrace each other in support and provide each other with a sense of togetherness. One of the things that became of utmost importance during the difficult time was coming together as one, and that’s exactly what was being exemplified by the players and coaches of two heated rival teams at the time. The solemness that was present was something likely never before seen at a major league sporting event. Many of the players and coaches even found it very difficult to hold back tears at certain points.

As the players lined up along the first and third base lines, stirring renditions of “God Bless America” and The National Anthem were performed by Diana Ross and Marc Anthony, respectively. Perhaps even more chilling was the NYPD Bagpipers performing “Amazing Grace,” which Mets’ slugger Mike Piazza recalls led him to shed a few tears. Lastly, a 21-gun salute took place right before the first pitch, something that Braves’ star Chipper Jones admitted made his hair stand up and was something he will never forget. All eyes in America that night were on the events unfolding at Shea Stadium. It didn’t matter if you were a baseball fan or not. It didn’t matter if you were a Mets fan or not. The general feeling was that the Mets NEEDED to win that game for their city. Perhaps even further was the general feeling that the Mets were GOING TO win that game for their city. The American people couldn’t have been prouder of the red, white, and blue at the time, but were blue and orange that night.

The actual game itself finally started and was rather slow for most of it, with both starting pitchers making things tough on opposing hitters. Bruce Chen got the starting nod for the home team, while Jason Marquis, a Staten Island native, did for the Braves. “I was wearing a Braves uniform, but I was really representing New York at that given time,” Marquis said recently. Only a single run was put up on the scoreboard by both teams through seven innings, providing another reason for the crowd to be subdued. But things were about to change.

In the top of the eight inning, Brian Jordan doubled, scoring the go-ahead run for Atlanta. In a game where runs were hard to come by, this felt like it could be enough to put the Braves over the top. But if fate were to play any kind of role in this game, people thought, it couldn’t end like this. “Maybe the Braves taking the late-game lead is just setting things up for a spectacular finish,” some folks thought. They happened to be right.

If the Mets were going to win that game, their best chance was going to be in the bottom of the eighth inning. That’s when their star player (and now Hall of Famer) Mike Piazza was due up. When a walk put the tying run on first base, Piazza’s name was introduced. The crowd, which had been pretty quiet for a while, began to come alive. People at the game, and all over America couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to do something special here to lead the Mets to a storybook ending. No matter if they tried to fight it, the thought even crept into some of the players’ minds. Chipper Jones, who was playing left field for the Braves that night, quoted years later, “I’ve had maybe 10, 15, or 20 instances in my career where I’ve had a premonition. When Mike Piazza walked up, I knew he was going to hit a home run. I said to myself before the pitch, the roof is going to come off this place.”

As fate would have it, Chipper’s premonition was spot on. Mike Piazza squarely connected on a pitch from Steve Karsay and sent it well over the centerfield wall. As Piazza rounded the bases, fans were going absolutely crazy, with emotions flying all over the place. High fives were given, hugs were shared, and tears were shed. A moment was just created that will go down as one of the most special moments in the history of the game. It may have been just a home run or just a baseball game on the outside, but on the inside it was so much more. It was a step towards healing for people of New York City. Said one mother who was invited to attend the game with her sons after losing her husband (their father) in the attack, “I could never thank [Mike Piazza] enough for putting smiles on my children’s faces that night. They saw they could enjoy a baseball game without their father, and making me realize as a mom that the kids will be ok.”

The two-run homer gave the Mets the 8th inning lead, and after a 9th inning double-play to close things out, the 3-2 win. And if you think anyone was upset about the outcome, you’d be totally wrong. As soon as Piazza hit the go-ahead home run, Braves players themselves were content. “Usually when someone hits a home run against you, your heart drops. When he hit it that night, I was happy for the fans. They needed it,” said Chipper Jones. Dave Martinez (born in Brooklyn), who was playing first base that night for the Braves, recalled, “At one point I was like ‘Go, go, go’” when the ball came off of Piazza’s bat because, “this is what’s meant to be.”

Other Braves have reflected on the outcome of that special game as well. Infielder Mark DeRosa (who was from nearby Carlstadt, New Jersey) quoted, “It was the only game I ever played in my life, from the time I was like nine years old, I can remember that I didn’t mind losing.” Pitcher Tom Glavine said, “It’s probably one of the only games in the big leagues that I was part of the losing team and really didn’t care. It was almost like a Hollywood script…you never like to lose. But when you digest it, if you ever felt like a city and a team needed to win more than you did, that was the night. And for that reason, not many of us really cared that we lost that game.”

Even the Braves’ legendary skipper Bobby Cox echoed his players’ sentiments. Though the two rival teams were in the midst of a pennant race, he pulled his group of players together after the game in the clubhouse and told them, “You know guys, you’ll never hear me talk about losing. I hate losing, I hate it with a passion, but I wanted them to win that game tonight. The city of New York needed that, the Mets needed that.”

It’s truly amazing what a simple baseball game can do. At a time when New Yorkers were desperate to get their minds off the devastating events that shook their city ten days earlier, the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves were able to provide a few hours worth of entertainment to help ease that pain. John Franco, who pitched for the Mets at the time, put it nicely when recently reflecting on that night. “Just to see how New York came together, how the city came together, how the country came together, watching us play. [I was] fortunate enough to pitch in that game and be a part of it. Thinking about it 20 years later and how important it was at that time to put a band-aid on a wound and seeing the fans happy for just a little while, that’s what stuck with me, that we helped out in a certain way. And I’ll never forget that for as long as I live.”

The hero of the night, Mike Piazza, has spoken about that night many times. And while he realizes the magnitude of his home run, he admits he feels uncomfortable when people treat him as a hero because of it. He claims he was just fortunate to be put in that situation and able to “do his job” of providing entertainment to the fans. “People just wanted to cheer about something. I’m just so happy I gave the people something to cheer.” The result of the game may have gotten the Mets one game closer in the heated playoff race, but it was the emotional impact it provided that meant so much more and will forever hold a special place in the memories of every fan. The city of New York had just experienced a lifetime’s worth of pain, but that game was able to replace some of it with hope and happiness.

Garett

The Day America Was Mets Fans