Current, Former Mets Visit FDNY Ladder 3, Squad 288-Haz Mat

Some current and former New York Mets baseball players visited firehouses in New York City on Friday to pay tribute to first responders who perished in the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Former closer John Franco, former catcher Mike Piazza, and third baseman David Wright were among those who stopped by Ladder 3 in Manhattan. They spoke to firefighters, posed for photos and signed balls. Ladder 3 lost a dozen members in the collapse of the World Trade Center.

“In our culture we hold sports players and stars in high esteem … but in so far as defining what a true hero is, especially for myself, all you have to do is look at that wall,” Piazza said, pointing to the pictures of those firefighters who lost their lives in 9/11.

Jason Isringhausen, Edgardo Alfonzo, Tim Byrdak, Matt Franco, Dillon Gee, John Olerud, Bobby Parnell, Steve Trachsel, and Robin Ventura were also among the Mets visiting with firefighters on Friday. They visited Squad 288-Haz Mat 1 in Maspeth, Queens, which lost 19 firefighters on 9/11.

All told, the FDNY lost 343 firefighters in the attack.