Daughter of 9/11 victim throws out first pitch as Yankees mark 25th anniversary of attacks

NEW YORK (AP) — Twenty-five years ago, Brielle Saracini was 10 years old and trying to cope with losing her father, Victor Saracini, the pilot on United flight 175, which was taken over by the 9/11 hijackers and crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

Spurred on by a friend, she wrote a letter to Derek Jeter, met the Yankees captain at Yankee Stadium and formed a lifelong friendship.

On Friday, as New York commemorated the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Saracini threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium with Jeter watching from the mound before the Yankees beat the crosstown Mets 6-4.

“I remember just talking about anything and everything and anything that kind of came through my mind that day and you just made it so comfortable and I remember just feeling normal for a day, which was hard to do,” Saracini said while sitting next to Jeter at a news conference. “The odds were stacked against me that day but I remember just taking a minute and just having normal conversations and just feeling like a kid.”

Jeter remembers trying his best in a tough situation.

“When we invited her to the stadium, you really don’t know what to say,” Jeter said. “So I don’t even know if I said ‘I’m sorry’ or anything like that. I just tried to make her day feel special and I remember introducing her to all the players and bring her down and you just try to make her feel as comfortable as you possibly can.”

Toward the end of a nearly 30-minute ceremony, Saracini and husband, Sean McGuire — he wore a Mets jersey — threw to Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger. McGuire also lost his father on 9/11; the couple met at a camp for kids whose parents died in the attacks, and they married in 2017.

“That was cool,” said Bellinger, whose father, Clay, played for the 2001 Yankees and later became a firefighter. “I was told the story before the game. A pretty wild story. So I was we were all able to kind of give some cheer back.”

As Saracini and McGuire made their tosses, Jeter stood behind them along with former teammates Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius, and their manager, Joe Torre.

During the ceremony, highlights of the Yankees’ 2001 postseason run were shown, including Jeter’s walk-off homer in Game 4 of the World Series that earned him the nickname “Mr. November.” The Yankees fell short in their bid for a fourth straight title when Luis Gonzalez singled off Rivera to give the Diamondbacks their only championship.

Acclaimed tenor James Valenti sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” while a massive American flag was unfurled in center field.

In the weeks before the ceremony, various members of the Yankees visited three fire stations in Manhattan. Earlier this week, several Yankees — including manager Aaron Boone — visited the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center site.

Friday marked the second time the Mets and Yankees played on Sept. 11. The Yankees beat the Mets 8-7 at Citi Field on the 20th anniversary in 2021.

“I think Major League Baseball got this one right,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said, “putting these two teams together on this day.”

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

New York Yankees fans share a message during a 9/11 ceremony before baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Former New York Yankee Derek Jeter shakes hands with Aaron Judge before baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

American flags stand at half staff during a 9/11 ceremony before baseball game between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Former New York Yankee Derek Jeter acknowledges fans during a 9/11 ceremony before a baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Derek Jeter hugs Brielle Saracini before she throws out the ceremonial first pitch with husband Sean McGuire before a baseball game between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — After taking 10 years to win his first world championship, Ryan Garcia needed only 4:25 to finish off Conor Benn on Saturday night in the first defense of his WBC welterweight title.

“I kind of figured he would just come at me crazy,” Garcia said, explaining what he expected of his challenger. “Second round, I said I’m tired of him coming forward; I’m gonna stand my ground a little bit ... and then he got caught with a hellacious one."

Garcia’s sharp right hand to the jaw put Benn on the canvas early in the second round. Moments later, with the Englishman on the ropes, Garcia (26-2, 21 KOs) served a flurry of punches that prompted referee Thomas Taylor to step in and end the contest at the 1:25 mark and send the announced sold-out crowd of 18,855 into a frenzy.

”He’s exactly what I thought he was; he went in and tried to fight me. I think he needs to be a little bit more patient,” Garcia added. “I don’t think he has enough experience. I think he will be back. I have a new level of respect for him.”

Garcia closed -300 at BetMGM, meaning bettors would have had to lay $300 to win $100.

The bout was more than another high-profile main event, as it marked a career-defining crossroads for both fighters.

For Garcia, he solidified himself in the 147-pound weight class as a durable, legitimate titleholder rather than a gifted attraction whose career has often been defined by controversy, inconsistency and unrealized potential.

The convincing victory positioned Garcia for a lucrative welterweight fight against the division’s other leading names, including Teofimo Lopez, who was ringside, or another major showdown with Devin Haney, who was also in attendance.

For the 29-year-old Benn (25-2), it’s likely back to the middleweight division after failing in his first world-title opportunity and a chance to escape the considerable shadow of his father, former two-division champion Nigel Benn.

Benn was transported to a hospital after the fight for observation.

In the co-main event, Jai Opetaia (31-0, 24 KOs) patiently weathered several cagey rounds before stopping Noel Mikaelian in the ninth round of their scheduled 12-round lineal cruiserweight championship fight.

Opetaia stunned Mikaelian (28-4) with a multi-punch combination and two crushing hooks, then sent him backward into the ropes with a powerful right hand. Referee Harvey Dock administered a standing eight-count before determining Mikaelian could not continue, ending the competitive fight by TKO at 1:30.

Da’Mazion Vanhouter (13-0, 10 KOs) wasted no time in his scheduled 8-round heavyweight bout, delivering a crushing right hand at the 1:58 mark of the first round for a knockout of Raphael Akpejiori (19-4).

In the 10-round lightweight bout that opened the main card, Andres Cortes (26-0) retained his belt with a unanimous decision over Mark Magsayo (29-3), with all three judges scoring the fight 97-93.

AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing

Andres Cortes, right, punches Mark Magsayo in their lightweight fight Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Raphael Akpejiori, (L), fights Da'mazion Vanhouter in their heavyweight fight Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Jai Opetaia, left, punches Noel Mikaelian in their cruiserweight championship fight Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Ryan Garcia, left, punches Conor Benn in their welterweight championship fight Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)