Seven days after the Sept. 11 attacks brought the country to a standstill, Major League Baseball made a decision that would resonate far beyond the ballpark — it was time to play ball.
For MLB Network analyst and former Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sean Casey, that return to the field on Sept. 18, 2001, was about more than baseball. It was about a nation finding its footing again.
"That day, we all went back to play baseball. I feel like our country, there was some healing that went on that night," Casey said.
The decision to resume play was not an easy one. Casey said the entire country — players included — was struggling to find its bearings in the days following the attacks.
"I mean, there was just, I think there was a lot of confusion, there was a lot of sadness, there was a lot of anger, all those things," Casey said. "Nobody really knew and we were all — I think the whole country was — didn't know really where to go, what to do, what action to take."
The question of whether returning to play so soon was appropriate weighed heavily.
"I think it was a little bit of both, to tell you the truth," Casey said. "Is a week too soon? And I think collectively as Major League Baseball, we decided it wasn't. I think obviously it turned out to be the right decision."
But for Casey, the return also carried a deeper meaning — a message to the world.
"Let's make sure that these terrorists aren't shutting down our country," Casey said. "They want us to live in fear, and we're gonna show them, you know what, we're back. We're not living in fear, we're charging right for you, and we're not gonna just sit in the corner and be scared. We're gonna come out and with the courage that this nation has, the greatest country in the world, and we're gonna show you what freedom looks like."
The national anthem that first night back left a lasting impression Casey said he will never forget.
"The national anthem, I think that night — oh man, it just kind of chokes me up. I'm still — it was something that I'll never forget, you know, the emotion is embedded in my heart. We felt like Americans," Casey said.
Casey was in Chicago with the Reds on the morning of Sept. 11, preparing for a series against the Cubs, when his wife called his hotel room at the Westin.
"She called me like I think 8 o'clock and you're an hour behind anyway," Casey said. "She was like, hey, something's going on. Turn on the TV. Turn on the TV. And I saw the 2nd plane, the first plane hit, then the second plane hit. I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa."
Casey immediately went to find his teammates.
"Adam Dunn was right across the hall, so I went over, knocked on his door. He thought it was room service, you know, he thought it was cleaning service, like, can you come back? I'm like, no, dude, big donkey, open the door. Open the door, dude, like, something's going on."
Casey and his teammates — including Jason La Rue, Barry Larkin, and others — gathered and eventually evacuated the hotel after word spread that a fifth plane may have been heading toward the John Hancock building, located directly across the street from where the team was staying.
"They start rushing us out of there, got us evacuated out of the building," Casey said. "I remember going outside — I think it was Jason La Rue, Donner, Kurt, a bunch of different guys. We went outside and we ate lunch, like way outside the city, and basically watched the footage all day of what was going on."
With all flights grounded, the team boarded buses back to Cincinnati.
"What an eerie feeling taking those buses back, knowing there was no flights, knowing that everything was grounded, just knowing that, you know, all that was going on in New York," Casey said. "It was just a crazy, crazy day, you know, for all of us."
Among Casey's most prized possessions from his eight years with the Reds is the jersey and hat he wore during that first game back — both bearing an American flag patch.
"The one jersey that I would never give away was my 2001 jersey that had the American flag on the side, the hat had the American flag on the side too," Casey said. "It's the only hat I have in my memorabilia room. It's my 9/11 hat. It's the hat I wore that night and just cause it, you know, with the flag on the side, it just meant, it meant so much to me."
Twenty-five years later, Casey said he hopes the country never loses sight of what that day represented.
"Hopefully we never forget. Hopefully we remember the freedoms we have in this country and that freedom was attacked that day and that we make sure that we don't ever take that for granted," Casey said. "Remember that we're Americans and that we need to make sure our eyes are open and that we keep the country the best country in the world."
