New York, N.Y. – July 26, 2016 – This Thursday night, 710 WOR-AM, the New York Mets’ radio flagship iHeart station, will once again open the vaults to re-air the now-iconic game from September 21, 2001, in which Mike Piazza hit the first home run for a New York team after the terrorist attacks of September 11. This special rebroadcast will serve as a lead-up to Saturday evening’s ceremony at Citi Field in which the Mets will retire newly-minted Hall of Famer Piazza’s number.
Howie Rose, the lead radio voice of the Mets, said, “The Mets-Braves game of September 21st, 2001 was perhaps the most unique sporting event in New York City history. Just ten days after the attacks which took down the World Trade Center and killed nearly three thousand people, it was with great trepidation that many of us made our way to Shea Stadium.”
“A crowd of over forty thousand people had not gathered in one place in New York over the previous week and a half, and there was a palpable nervousness in the ballpark. Until Mike Piazza changed the narrative. His dramatic home run could not reverse the most tragic event in our nation’s history, but it provided a lift, a reason to take a cleansing breath and break into a smile with a clear conscience. Fifteen years later, that home run still provides solace, warmth, and yes, sheer happiness. Hopefully this rebroadcast provides a bit of that,” said Rose.
Listeners will have the opportunity to hear the game just as they did that evening in 2001, including every call by legendary Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy and Gary Cohen. The game will be preceded by a special retrospective program focusing on Piazza’s storied career, hosted by WOR’s Pete McCarthy.
The special broadcast will begin at 6pm on Thursday evening.
Other highlights of the game were Diana Ross singing “America the Beautiful” and Marc Anthony performing the National Anthem.
