MLB Rewind: Former president George W. Bush sent Yankees fans into a frenzy by throwing a perfect strike in the aftermath of 9/11
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attack in September 2001, then-president George W. Bush stunned New York Yankees fans by throwing a perfect strike.
Bush donned a bulletproof vest as he arrived for Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, the first of the series to be played at Yankee Stadium. After visiting first responders deployed at the World Trade Center site, the president traveled in Marine One to Yankee Stadium. After the game, he told MLB.com:
"I had never had such an adrenaline rush as when I finally made it to the mound. I was saying to the crowd, 'I'm with you, the country's with you' ... And I wound up and fired the pitch. I've never felt anything so powerful and emotions so strong, and the collective will of the crowd so evident."
George Bush throwing the ball down the middle at Yankee Stadium 49 days after the 9/11 attacks will forever be one of the greatest first pitches in MLB history
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"George Bush throwing the ball down the middle at Yankee Stadium 49 days after the 9/11 attacks will forever be one of the greatest first pitches in MLB history" - Jenn
Since the mound is pretty far away for an average person's throw, most people tend to stand closer to home plate when throwing out the first pitch. However, Bush decided to throw from the pitcher’s mound, and he threw a strike right down the middle.
The Yankees won all three games in New York but missed out in Game 7, and lost the Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks. MLB canceled all games in the aftermath of the attack but resumed a week later with hopes of acting as a unifying power across the nation.
President George W. Bush and his love for baseball
The 76-year-old former president has been a big fan of the game ever since his youth. He was an owner and managing partner of the Texas Rangers from 1989-1998, and earlier this year, he was spotted entering the MLB headquarters.
George W. Bush's love of baseball began during his childhood in Midland, Texas, where he played Little League Baseball and dreamed of following in the footsteps of baseball great, Willie Mays. Bush attended high school at Phillips Academy, a boarding school in Massachusetts, where he played baseball.
Love of the game seems to run in his family. George W. Bush's father, former president George H.W. Bush, played baseball at Yale.
Babe Ruth with a young George Bush who was the captain of the Yale baseball team in 1948. https://t.co/ODiapgSNwY
"Babe Ruth with a young George [H.W.] Bush who was the captain of the Yale baseball team in 1948." - Knight Nation Est. 09
In 2007, he also hosted a commemorative game on the South Lawn, retiring legend Jackie Robinson’s #42 at the White House field. George W. Bush also hosted the living National Baseball Hall of Famers at the White House in 2001 and 2004. Additionally, George W. Bush awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to three former baseball players: Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, and Buck O’Neil.