The New York Yankees paid a tribute on Wednesday to those who suffered and saved lives ten years ago on Sept. 11, 2001.

In a game against the Baltimore Orioles, the ceremony took place before the players took to the field.
The salute took place in Yankee Stadium and opened with a video message from Michelle Obama.

Donald Rumsfield, former defense secretary, also went onto the field to pay tribute to those who saved and lost lives during the tragic event. At a press conference before the game, team captain Derek Jeter admitted that he and fellow Yankee players were not the real heroes in the city.

“This is something that affected the entire country, not just New York City, so I think September 11th is a day that is remembered all over this country,” Jeter said during a press conference before the game. “We’re baseball players. People always look at us as being heroes, then we have an opportunity to meet families and firefighters and EMS workers, those were the true heroes.”

Jeter also added that he felt good about representing the city on the field after the terrorist attack seemed to weaken it.

“Playing for New York at that time, it was something very special and made us all feel proud,” Jeter said. “It made us feel that people were looking up to us and that we had a responsibility, not just to win a baseball game, but to represent ourselves in a positive light and play the game the right way.”

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Mariano Rivera expressed the same sentiments as Jeter. However, he added that he enjoyed seeing people come together as a nation.

Mariano Rivera recalled meeting with many such people personally affected.

“I was telling myself, what can I say to these people to make them feel comfortable, but I guess our presence was enough,” Rivera said in the press conference. “The whole country got together. Everyone was helping everyone. We were one nation. It was a beautiful thing.”