MLB marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 with tributes, service on Friday, September 11

Major League Baseball observed the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on Friday with league-wide ceremonies, special programming, and a coordinated day of service across all 30 ballparks.

The centerpiece was a meal-packing event at Citi Field, co-hosted by MLB and the Mets in partnership with the nonprofit 9/11 Day as part of the UNITE for Good initiative, described by MLB as the nation's largest annual day of service. According to MLB.com, former Mets including Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, David Wright, Al Leiter, John Franco, Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile, Adam Ottavino and Dellin Betances, along with MLB Network's Harold Reynolds, led the effort on site.

All players, managers, coaches and umpires across MLB wore special New Era caps with a "We Shall Never Forget" side patch on Friday. The Blue Jays wore caps featuring both the Canadian and American flags, while the Yankees and Mets wore first responder caps with team logos during their Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium.

Each ballpark held a moment of silence, an MLB Network-produced scoreboard dedication, and a rendition of "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch, per MLB.com. Home teams also displayed customized base jewels and official lineup cards. The Mets-Yankees game, broadcast nationally on MLB Network and ESPN Unlimited at 7 p.m. ET, aired locally on YES and SNY in New York.

MLB Network premiered the two-hour documentary "When America Took the Field" on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET, showcasing baseball's role in helping the nation heal after the attacks. The documentary was produced by MLB Network's production staff alongside Todd Zeile. The film was screened at Citi Field on Thursday for Mets season-ticket holders and select guests before its network premiere, and aired again Friday at 10 p.m. ET, Saturday at 10 a.m. ET, and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, with on-demand streaming available to MLB.TV and MLB+ subscribers.

Sports moments in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 became touchstones for national reflection: President Bush's first pitch at Yankee Stadium and Mike Piazza's home run for the Mets were cited by those who revisited that day 25 years later. On Friday, Trey Wingo of ESPN called up Bob Ley, his co-anchor on SportsCenter's 6 p.m. edition on September 11, 2001, to reflect on that broadcast. According to reporting from Awful Announcing, Wingo initially thought SportsCenter should not air that night, while Ley argued the show should go on as "the show of record" to chronicle what happened in sports. In retrospect, Wingo acknowledged Ley was right: "In hindsight, I was 100% wrong and you were 100% right."