Screenshot from Justin Toscano

“Life is precious,” Mike Piazza said as he sat in front of the Mets backdrop, looking back and reflecting on his home run that helped unite a city nearly 20 years ago.

Saturday was no ordinary day at Citi Field. The Mets held two special press conferences before the game, having Pete Alonso and Piazza speak in remembrance of the terrorist attacks that occurred 20 years ago to this day. Alonso was just a first grader at the time, while Piazza of course was in his playing days. But even for two men who were in such different stages of their lives at the time of this tragedy, it’s evident that the event still affects them — as well as the city of New York and the entire country — to this day.

“You do have to experience tragedy to see triumph,” Piazza said.

Piazza will go down in Mets history for many reasons — his status as the best offensive catcher the franchise has ever seen at the forefront. But for many fans, the moment that sticks with them the most is Piazza’s home run on September 21, 2001 which lifted the Mets to a victory in their first game since the attacks.

Piazza emphasized how he still receives many thoughtful messages from people, so much so that “it really strikes my heart.”

“I feel everyone’s pain and continue to pray for them,” he went on to say.

He recalled a specific story, not naming the date but alluding that it happened many years ago and still sticks with him. He was sitting on a plane, where he noted “is really the only time where you can be in your own world and not necessarily have to engage someone.” Piazza chuckled, then continued to talk about how a man came up to him and told him how he lost his brother in the World Trade Center.

Piazza recalled: “He said, ‘I can’t tell you how much that home run meant to myself and my family. We were in a state of complete mourning. We just decided to go to the game.’ It was really touching, and I was completely shocked and taken aback and then he was gone, almost like a ghost.

“It was just crazy. That really stuck with me.”

Piazza said that even today, people still come up to him to talk about the home run and what was going through his mind at the time. It shows how much that home run united and continues to unite the people of New York, which speaks to a point that Alonso made on Saturday.

“Every single day, we’re still recovering,” said Alonso, who was a few months away from turning 7 years old on September 11, 2001. “We’ve never stopped recovering because it cut that deep.”

While Piazza’s impacts are undeniable and unbreakable, Alonso represents the new wave of recovery, grief and unity. Alonso said that “not just for this tragedy, but there’s so many things in the world I want to be able to help with.” He also announced that he will be releasing an NFT to raise money for the 9/11 Museum and Memorial.

“People have treated me so well here,” Alonso said. “I’m just forever grateful… I just want to continue to give back.”

Alonso emphasized that Saturday’s game, with the Mets wearing the first responder caps for the second consecutive year, is a special event not just for New York, but for the country.

This game is about coming together, taking a moment to step back and look beyond rivalries or competitions. Alonso remarked about how much power something like this has to bring the Mets and Yankees together, showing how this is truly bigger than baseball. The impact of Piazza’s home run and all the steps that the people of New York have taken to come together and grieve is felt by fans and players alike, young and old.

“Unfortunately we had to go through tragedy to experience that,” Piazza said, “but I’ve never felt such community.”

The impact of tragedy and loss of that day will never truly go away, with the sting as evident as it’s ever been even two decades later.

“I don’t really think it ever gets any easier,” Piazza said.

But that’s why it’s so important that everyone comes together on a day like this: to mourn, support one another and look at life with some perspective. The Mets and Yankees get to play a baseball game on Saturday, and as we saw nearly 20 years ago when Piazza smacked that majestic blast, the power that baseball can have cannot be understated.

“It’s truly an honor,” Alonso said of the opportunity to play on 9/11 and honor the lives that were lost. “I’m just really grateful for this opportunity. It’s gonna be a very special day.”

It’s a day of coming together and learning to persevere and unite in the name of immense tragedy.

“You have to love the people around you every day,” Piazza said.