MLB Marks 9/11 Anniversary with Meal Packing & Tributes

When Mike Piazza steps onto Citi Field this Friday, he won't be swinging a bat. The Hall of Famer will be packing meals alongside fellow Mets legends David Wright, Al Leiter, and John Franco to feed families across the tri-state area.

Major League Baseball is marking the 25th anniversary of September 11th by turning remembrance into action. The league is partnering with the nonprofit 9/11 Day to host a massive meal-packing event as part of UNITE for Good, the nation's largest annual day of service.

Former players, MLB staff, college athletes, and community volunteers will work together at Citi Field to prepare thousands of meals for local families facing food insecurity. The effort transforms a day of reflection into tangible help for those who need it most.

The service doesn't stop there. All 30 MLB ballparks will honor first responders and victims with pregame ceremonies on Friday. Players, managers, coaches, and umpires across the league will wear special "We Shall Never Forget" caps, while Yankees and Mets players will don first responder caps during their Subway Series matchup.

The Ripple Effect

Baseball has always served as America's healing ground during difficult times. A new MLB Network documentary called "When America Took the Field" explores how the sport helped the nation find hope and unity in the weeks after the 2001 attacks.

The two-hour film, produced by MLB Network alongside former player Todd Zeile, premieres Thursday night and will air multiple times through the weekend. It showcases baseball's unique role in bringing communities together when they needed it most.

Every ballpark will observe a moment of silence, feature customized base jewels and lineup cards, and play "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch. The coordinated effort ensures that no matter which team fans root for, everyone pauses together to remember and honor those lost.

The combination of nationwide service projects with stadium tributes shows how sports can channel grief into positive action. What started as America's pastime continues to be America's common ground, a place where different communities unite around shared values of service, remembrance, and hope.

Twenty-five years later, baseball reminds us that the best way to honor the past is by serving the present.