𝐂 𝐎 𝐋 𝐋 𝐈 𝐃 𝐄

𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄 & 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2021. YANKEES @ METS. CITI FIELD.

a tear sprinkled out of sophia's eye, as she stood next to jeremy hefner, a familiar face that'd been in the mets organization ever since she could remember.

this night of the year was always a very heavy-hearted one. especially in new york. she had to of only been about three years old when 9/11 occurred, but she vividly remembered walking into the kitchen and seeing her mother in tears as her father was glued to the TV observing a huge cloud of dust on the screen.

it was hard to explain to a three year old what was going on. but as soon as her father said someone was trying to hurt them and killed many people, she understood the idea to an extent and began to bawl on the couch, glued to her mother's hip.

afterward she recalled her mom going to get her older siblings from school, and a couple family friends coming over from down the street.

once the attack happened, everything just stopped. it was like everyone's lives were just put on hold. for a whole week, her mother stayed home and her father didn't go to work. no one traveled. she didn't get to go out into the garden or play outside with the other children. everyone was scared. everyone was wondering who was next.

as she stared at the tribute on the screen, she recognized the faces of the 2001 yankees. they were troopers, all of them. after getting attacked the week before, then showing up in detroit a week later to finish the job. not to mention the fact that after almost every game each of them were doing something to contribute and help the community.

finally, the tribute ended and her glossy eyes gazed up at the starry sky while her hands patted softly together into a clap. there was a standing ovation around the stadium. the two teams were arguably one of the bigger rivalries around the mlb. but right now? everyone was together. everyone united as new yorkers and americans.

the girl began walking back to the visiting dugout, crossing her heart and whispering a small prayer to herself as she sat down on one of the benches.

tonight was not only going to be a tough game, but an all-around tough night as well.

volυмe : ▁▂▃▄▅▆▇▉ " just close your eyes, the sun is going down. no one can hurt you now. "

0:10 ───|────── -3:30

boone was having a rough time tonight with all the 9/11 stuff, so a few minutes ago he excused himself to gather his thoughts and emotions. which left me, standing on his signature step with my best aaron boone impression i could muster up...  trying to seem serious. all while having to make big decisions myself. 

it ranged from: 'who should pinch run?'
'whose gonna pitch to lindor?'
'which infielder can luke pinch-hit for?'

i sighed, resting my head on the cold railing. these decisions could feel a lot easier right now if today wasn't september 11th and my head wasn't so cluttered with so many other feelings and thoughts. 

the crowd wasn't feral like it normally was a citi field. call me crazy but i didn't necessarily enjoy the quietness. it felt off and awkward. silence wasn't a good fit for a baseball stadium. especially not a baseball stadium in new york.

the game was close too, and we were sitting at 5-4 yankees — bottom of the 6th.

i put my hood on my head as another gust of wind came through, shuddering as james mcann hit a ball struck well to left field. mcneil on base. stanton going back... at the wall... goodbye.