Royals and the 9/11 attacks
The world was in absolute shock when it was revealed that four planes were hijacked by the terrorist organization al Qaeda on September 11, 2001. At that time, the 2001 Kansas City Royals were not having a stellar season, having lost 97 games and trailing 24.5 games behind the division-leading Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). Remarkably, just over twenty years later, the Royals would again finish with 97 losses in the 2022 season.
On September 11, 2001, the Royals were not scheduled to play. Their last game before the attacks had been against the Texas Rangers in Arlington on September 9, which they lost 3-4. Despite not playing on the day of the attacks, the events undoubtedly reverberated through the baseball community.
Sports often help bring Americans together after tragic events, and baseball was no exception. The MLB season resumed on September 17, with the New York Yankees playing against the Chicago White Sox and the Mets facing the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yankees manager Joe Torre admitted uncertainty about how the game and fans would respond, saying, "I told my team, ‘We really don’t know how to deal with this because we’ve never had to before.’"
For the Royals and other teams, showing support became a priority. Many teams, including the Royals, wore jerseys with an American flag stitched on the collar. The Royals also displayed the "We Stand United" emblem on the left-field fountain.
Former Royals manager Ned Yost, who was the Braves' bench coach at the time of the attacks, visited Ground Zero. Yost described his experience as deeply emotional, recalling, “It was so emotional. To this day, I will never forget the smell of jet fuel—it was still burning through the rubble.” He continued, “We wanted to go there to show our support for the local police, for the Port Authority police.”
Yost detailed the devastation: “It was still smoking, still burning. They were still searching for bodies, looking in stairwells and thinking there might be survivors. Everything else just vaporized. All the buildings around it were gone. It was incredible to see the destruction.” He remembered seeing a plane engine that had penetrated the Trade Center and another building, leaving a visible imprint.
The area was marked by the names of missing Port Authority policemen, some with two stars indicating those who had been recovered. “We took pictures, but no one else besides the press was allowed to take them,” Yost said. “The police told us we could take pictures, but not to show them for a while. Mostly, we just stood there, still in shock at how a 100-story building could be reduced to rubble like that. And the smell—I’ll never get over that. It’s important to never forget. You heal through time, but you never forget.”
Over a decade later, all thirty MLB teams, including the Royals, began wearing a memorial 9/11 patch on their hats or jersey sleeves. The Toronto Blue Jays typically wear both the US and Canadian flags on their hats. The Royals, along with players like outfielder MJ Melendez, later contributed to charitable efforts, such as packing meals at City Harvest food bank.
At the time of the attacks, current Royals manager Matt Quatraro was playing in Double-A for the Rays. Although this article touches on various aspects, it’s fascinating to reflect on the scheduled games of September 11, 2001, and where Royals players and coaches were during that historic day.
