They remember the roar: Inside George W. Bush’s iconic World Series pitch after 9/11

Todd Greene looked out at the Yankee Stadium bullpen and realized nobody was coming in. Jorge Posada, who was supposed to catch the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, was stuck out there. But Roger Clemens was starting that night, and Clemens always took forever to get loose.

So when Greene glanced up from the Yankees dugout on Oct. 30, 2001 and the president of the United States was heading to dugout steps, he knew he had to act. Greene grabbed his glove and ran out into one of the most emotional, iconic moments in modern baseball.

Nearly 25 years later, the clip still runs every September. George W. Bush in an FDNY pullover, seven weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks that had rocked the nation. The president walked all the way to the real mound, 60 feet, 6 inches, and – wearing a Kevlar vest under his clothing – threw a strike to the Yankees backup catcher.

What nobody has ever been able to put on film is what it felt like standing in the middle of it all. Ask those on the field about that night with the president and not one of…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/