METS TO OBSERVE THE 17TH ANNIVERSARY OF SEPTEMBER 11 WITH PREGAME COMMEMORATION CEREMONY

Wear the caps during the game..../

METS TO OBSERVE THE 17TH ANNIVERSARY OF SEPTEMBER 11 WITH PREGAME COMMEMORATION CEREMONY

FLUSHING, N.Y., September 10, 2018 – The New York Mets will conduct a commemorative pregame ceremony on Tuesday, September 11 to honor and remember those whose lives were affected or lost on that tragic day in 2001.

The Mets will recognize the day with a moment of silence and honor the brave first responders, the victims and their families. In addition, the team will honor thousands of city employees, New Yorkers and volunteers from around the country who worked tirelessly in the rescue and recovery effort.

During batting practice, Mets players will wear first responder caps of the five agencies that participated in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero: New York Police Department, Fire Department of New York, Port Authority Police Department, New York City Office of Emergency Management and the City of New York Department of Sanitation. Over 100 uniformed representatives of those agencies will participate in an on-field warning track salute prior to the game.

Players and coaches will be joined by first responders from the FDNY, NYPD and PAPD, all of whom have been personally affected by the September 11 attacks during the National Anthem, performed by NYPD police officer Makiah Brown. Colors for the game will be presented by the Port Authority Police Department Honor Guard. Boys and girls whose parents or grandparents have battled 9/11 related illnesses will then take the field with Mets players.

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro will throw out Tuesday’s ceremonial first pitch. Nigro was among the thousands of firefighters at the World Trade Center on 9/11 and was appointed Chief of the department the following day. He was responsible for overseeing all rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero and the beginning of the unprecedented rebuilding of the FDNY. The ceremonial catcher will be Mets Hall of Famer John Franco, who played a key role in the team helping New York City recover from the attacks.

Outside of the ballpark, the New York Mets will plant a Survivor Tree presented to the team and Answer the Call in honor of late Mets Hall of Famer Rusty Staub. Staub founded Answer the Call: The New York Police Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund over 30 years ago and it has since grown to provide over $145 million to the families of fallen FDNY, NYPD and PAPD heroes killed in the line of duty. The survivor tree is a sapling grown from the branches of the Callery Pear tree recovered at Ground Zero in the months following the September 11 attacks.

The tribute will continue in-game with Tuesday’s Veteran of the Game, Peter Regan of Ladder Company 174 in Brooklyn. After seven years of service in the United States Marine Corps, Sergeant Regan followed in his late father’s footsteps, Firefighter Donald Regan of FDNY Rescue Company 3, who was killed in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11.

FDNY Firefighter Regina Wilson will sing God Bless America during the seventh-inning stretch to conclude the night’s remembrance ceremonies.