President Donald Trump visited Yankee Stadium Thursday as the team commemorated the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and defeated the Detroit Tigers by a score of 9-3.
With the victory, not only did the Yankees avoid the series sweep, but Aaron Judge hit two home runs to tie Joe DiMaggio’s record for the fourth-most home runs in franchise history.
Trump’s Sept. 11 visit marked just the third time a sitting President has attended a Yankees game. George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Oct. 30, 2001, and Warren G. Harding attended a game in 1923, the inaugural year of the original Yankee Stadium.
Security around the Presidential visit was extremely tight, with numerous Secret Service and TSA agents, emergency vehicles, police officers and canines, thorough bag checks, and more than the usual number of streets closed. Gates opened a full three hours ahead of the 7:05 p.m. first pitch, and attendees were advised to arrive as early as possible.
The tightened security was likely also linked to the 9/11 anniversary and Wednesday’s assassination of close Trump ally Charlie Kirk, 31, the conservative activist who was shot and killed during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University. The team had held a moment of silence in Kirk’s honor that night.
Before Thursday’s game, Trump greeted the team in the clubhouse, and part of the crowd spotted him from his seat as starting lineups were announced. Many fans waved and filmed on their phones.
The President was shown on the big screen saluting as FDNY firefighter Regina Wilson sang the National Anthem and again during the second inning as “Hail to the Chief” rang out. Trump stood, smiled and waved to the crowd of 41,000 amid loud cheers and some boos.
The President’s visit and 9/11 commemoration made for a unique atmosphere in the stadium, where more than the usual show of patriotism was on display. On several occasions, including after Judge’s home runs, fans pumped their fists and shouted, “USA! USA!” Several fans sported American flags, and the songs “God Bless the U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood and “Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp played during the evening.
Yankees players wore FDNY and NYPD caps in remembrance of those who died on 9/11, and earlier in the day, Manager Aaron Boone and teammates Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón laid a wreath at the 9/11 memorial in the ballpark museum, Monument Park.
A pregame documentary showed interviews with Yankees staff and players on the team in 2001 and detailed the team’s emotional return to the stadium a week after the attacks.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
