MLB to mark 25th anniversary of 9/11 with tributes, service
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Major League Baseball will mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11 on Friday with on-field tributes, special programming, community projects and other off-field observances.
The day's off-field activities will begin with MLB and the Mets co-hosting a meal-packing event Friday at Citi Field in partnership with the nonprofit 9/11 Day as part of the UNITE for Good initiative, the nation's largest annual day of service.
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Leading the effort on site will be 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. Also helping will be MLB and Mets staff, New York-area college baseball and softball players and community volunteers. Together, they will pack thousands of meals for tri-state families in need. In addition, MLB Network will broadcast the Emmy-nominated "MLB Central" from Citi Field.
Along with morning service events, MLB will mark the 9/11 anniversary at all ballparks with special tributes and pregame ceremonies. On Friday, all players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear special New Era caps with a "We Shall Never Forget" side patch, while the Blue Jays will wear caps with both the Canadian and American flags. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Mets will wear first responder caps with team logos during their Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium.
Each ballpark will also have customized base jewels and official lineup cards, with home teams hosting a league-wide moment of silence, an MLB Network-produced scoreboard dedication and a rendition of "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch.
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MLB Network and ESPN Unlimited's Game of the Day will carry Friday's Mets-Yankees game nationally at 7 p.m. ET, while the game will air locally on YES and SNY in New York.
In other programming, MLB Network will premiere the documentary "When America Took the Field" at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, showcasing the role baseball played in helping the nation heal after the attacks. Produced by MLB Network’s production staff alongside Zeile, the two-hour documentary examines how the sport provided hope, healing and unity in the weeks after the tragedy.
Before its premiere on MLB Network, the film will be shown at Citi Field on Thursday during an event for Mets season-ticket holders and select guests. MLB Network will re-air the film on Friday after the Mets-Yankees game, then again at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday.