Roger Clemens remembers the electricity in the air when then-President George W. Bush stepped onto the mound at Yankee Stadium wearing a bulletproof vest to fire a perfect strike in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Clemens, the retired Yankee pitching legend, spoke about his role in the new Fox Nation special, “Never Forget: How Baseball Helped New York Heal,” and how America’s favorite pastime helped the nation overcome tragedy.
“He came out with a bulletproof vest on, threw a perfect strike. That stadium lit up,” Clemens said Friday on “America’s Newsroom.”
“Made you very, very proud to be an American. Let me tell you,” he added.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks that changed the country forever, killing nearly 3,000 people and thousands more from health issues caused by exposure to toxic dust and debris at Ground Zero.
Clemens met with victims’ families in the aftermath, describing their stories as a “punch in the gut.”
“When you meet the kids that lost their mom or dad, I can relate a little bit, I lost my dad when I was very young, but nothing compared to what happened in New York City then,” he said.
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Clemens described the uncertainty that gripped the country after the attacks, and the debate over whether the baseball season should continue after such a tremendous loss.
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“Once we were told we were [going to] play, we really embraced it and really tried to get out in front of it, give the fans, give the people in New York that lost loved ones maybe three hours of coming to the ball game and just getting away,” he added.
When the season resumed in New York City, Bush’s “perfect strike” became a symbol of national defiance. Clemens recalled how the entire crowd lit up as a wave of patriotism swept through the stadium.
The new one-hour documentary is produced by Tunnel to Towers and is streaming on Fox Nation. Actor and comedian Rob Riggle guides viewers through the aftermath of the attacks and shows how athletes, managers and fans offered support to each other and the country.
“Never Forget: How Baseball Helped New York Heal” is streaming on Fox Nation.
