The 20th anniversary of 9/11 will be acknowledged by current Yankees and Mets when the two teams wear caps and helmets to honor New York City’s first responders, but this weekend has also been an opportunity for past players to look back on their role in the city, and the nation’s, healing process.
Bernie Williams, a key cog in the Yankees’ last dynasty, was still a prominent part of the 2001 team and remembered what it was like being in New York during the time of the 9/11 attacks, and New York’s run to a fourth straight World Series appearance.
“It seems like the whole country rallied around the Yankees playing the Diamondbacks,” Williams told Ben Verlander on the First Pitch Podcast. “Being a part of that whole process and going from not knowing what to do - it seemed like there were a lot more important things to think about other than baseball - and we sort of gravitated into this role of bringing a little bit of normalcy to that whole situation.
“The country was in such despair and figuring out what we were gonna do next. Having the opportunity to be part of that sort of distraction to get the country…a little bit of sense of normalcy after that whole ordeal, to me it was just a really proud moment in my career.”
The Yankees gave the city numerous unforgettable moments to give a brief reprieve from the tragedy of 9/11, from overcoming a 2-0 series deficit in the ALCS to back-to-back ninth inning comebacks against Arizona in the World Series, in what is still considered one of the most exciting Fall Classics in baseball history.
The World Series also included the memorable first pitch by President George W. Bush ahead of game three at Yankee Stadium.
“Even though we lost that series…I feel a great sense of pride of being part of that process,” Williams said.
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Williams also remembered the Yankees’ role in the city immediately following the 9/11 attacks, and the sense of fulfillment he felt when those who were sacrificing everything to help in the recovery efforts were able to experience even a brief moment of healthy distraction. But it was Williams and the Yankees who felt like they should have been the ones feeling starstruck.
“We were asked to make some appearances throughout the city after the tragic events of 9/11,” Williams said. “All of the professional sports teams in new York made appearances at hospitals…I remember going to a place called the Armory…they were basically accumulating all the artifacts they would find in the premises of where the twin towers were, and they were waiting for people to submit artifacts so they could match their DNA from things they were finding. It was such a somber thing to go through, but for about a half hour, the whole attitude in the place change when everyone starting saying ‘The Yankees are here.’
“Outside of baseball, giving that kind of support…it was just incredible to be a part of. I still have no words to describe it.”
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