On September 11, 2001, when New York City was brought to an eerie halt, the sports world came together and became the strength that allowed everyone to move forward. As Friday marked the 25th anniversary of that solemn day, America’s two favorite pastimes, the NFL and the MLB, honored the brave ones and the survivors before continuing with their games. But Friday night’s Subway Series soon turned into a chaotic scene.

In the seventh inning of the game, the New York Mets had the bases loaded with two outs, as they trailed the New York Yankees 5-2. Francisco Lindor was about to face Brent Headrick with a 3-2 count when the game came to an abrupt pause.

At 9:11 p.m., a person stormed onto the field with a Palestinian flag from the left side. Before he could reach center field, security tackled him to the ground, cuffed him, and escorted him out of the stadium. Meanwhile, the 47,410-strong Yankee Stadium roared in USA chants as they walked away. By the time they reached beyond the outfield wall, fans at the top even threw beer cans at the pitch invader.

Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The Yankees hosted a pregame ceremony to honor the victims of the tragedy by paying tribute to the NYPD, FDNY, Port Authority Police Department, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and Tuesday’s Promise, as well as select members of the 2001 Yankees team.

The former players included Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Paul O’Neill, Bernie Williams, and Jorge Posada.

The ceremonial first pitch of the game was also thrown by Brielle Saracini and her husband, Sean McGuire, who were just ten-year-olds when they lost their fathers on 9/11 and later found each other through Camp Better Days. Singer Lee Greenwood performed during commemorations. Meanwhile, current Yankees players placed a wreath beside the 9/11 monument in Monument Park. But they had been making a difference in the days leading up to Friday, as they stated what MLB means on this day.

How the New York MLB teams came together to play their role in 9/11 relief

During practice, players from both teams wore hats of first responders’ organizations as tribute to the ones who were hurting but did not shy away from helping others.

The Yankees manager, Aaron Boone, visited several firehouses and Ground Zero in the days ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Needless to say, he understands what this date means and how important the ballgame is on this day.

“Certainly understand the weight of today,” Boone said. “Certainly being the having the two New York teams here playing, you know, having lived through being a baseball player at the time [and] knowing the role baseball played at the time, feels like an honor to go out there tonight.”

Meanwhile, Derek Jeter also appeared on Good Morning America and spoke on everything that the players did and why remembering 9/11 matters, as sports leagues became the primary entertainment providers for the nation.

“We had the chance to meet so many family members who had lost loved ones, and it was a common theme when we talked to them,” Derek Jeter recalled on Good Morning America. “It was memories that they had going to Yankee Stadium. They’re still watching us every night. We were in a playoff hunt at that particular time.

“And I think that’s when it clicked for us that we said, ‘Listen, we can’t change anything, obviously, that happened, but what we can try to do is just provide some entertainment, for even just three hours a day, and give people something to cheer for’, and we took that responsibility seriously.”

Before the series opener, the Mets’ interim manager Andy Green had spoken about the importance of the game.

“It’s gonna be special,” Green said, per the New York Post. “I think obviously it takes us back 25 years and all of the emotions and uncertainty we felt that day. The pain we felt for people who lost loved ones. It’s gonna be incredibly special. Major League Baseball got this one right by putting these two teams against each other on this day.”

Meanwhile, the Mets could not save themselves in the road game.

The Mets open their series with neighbors on a low note

The Mets were looking up as they continued to build on a winning momentum in the second half of the season. But just across the river, they opened their series with the Yankees with a loss.

Despite having the bases loaded in the seventh, they could not capitalize on it. Brent Headrick, who was throwing warm-up pitches during the delay, lined out Lindor after battling him for six pitches. With Lindor out, the Yankees escaped the jam and ultimately won 6-4.

The Yankees will play the Mets again on Saturday, and only time will tell if they can sweep the struggling Mets.