Former Mets pitcher Al Leiter recalls how a quiet trip home to see his daughter became a terrifying 9/11 journey through a city under attack.
Former New York Mets pitcher Al Leiter was supposed to be preparing for a baseball game in Pittsburgh on September 11, 2001. Instead, a private trip home to see his young daughter turned into a terrifying journey through New York as the nation came under attack.
Twenty-five years later, Leiter is sharing the details of that morning, including sitting on the tarmac as New York airspace was shut down and seeing the burning World Trade Center from a taxi.
Al Leiter Quietly Flew Home to See Daughter
Leiter was scheduled to pitch for the Mets in Pittsburgh on September 11, 2001.
But he had another priority that morning: being there for his daughter’s first-grade milestone.
The veteran pitcher quietly flew home to New York without telling Mets management, according to his recollection on OutKick’s “The Craig Carton Show.”
Leiter said his daughter had been scared and that he had promised her they would be there for the occasion.
After walking his daughter to school, Leiter headed back to LaGuardia Airport, expecting to continue on to Pittsburgh.
Instead, the events of September 11 changed everything.
‘New York Airspace Is Closed’
Leiter was sitting on the airport tarmac when the first reports of the attacks began reaching passengers.
He recalled the pilot initially mentioning a news helicopter near the World Trade Center before the situation rapidly escalated.
Within minutes, Leiter said passengers were ordered off the aircraft as LaGuardia closed and New York airspace was shut down.
At first, Leiter still believed the Mets might play.
The full scale of the terrorist attack had not yet become clear to him.
Leiter Watched the Twin Towers Burn
Determined to reach his team, Leiter decided to travel by car toward Philadelphia in an attempt to catch another flight.
He called Mets personnel to try to arrange transportation and climbed into a cab.
As the vehicle traveled through New York, Leiter saw the Twin Towers burning.
The former pitcher recalled that his cab driver was crying as the city around them descended into chaos.
Leiter said he was simultaneously angry, sad and focused on trying to reach Philadelphia, even as the reality of what was happening became increasingly impossible to ignore.
The Pentagon Attack Changed Everything
Leiter continued north toward the Tappan Zee Bridge, hoping to travel through New Jersey and eventually reach Philadelphia.
Then another devastating report came over the radio: the Pentagon had been attacked.
At that point, Leiter called Mets general manager Steve Phillips.
He told Phillips he was fairly certain the baseball game would not be played.
Phillips reassured him and told him not to worry.
The baseball schedule, like virtually everything else in the country, had effectively been swept aside by the attacks.
A Baseball Trip Became a 9/11 Memory
Leiter later described the circumstances as a bizarre contrast between an ordinary personal mission and one of the darkest moments in American history.
He had gone home because he wanted to be present for his daughter.
Within hours, he was trying to navigate a city in lockdown while watching the consequences of the attacks unfold around him.
His experience was also a reminder of how quickly the normal routines of September 11 were shattered for millions of Americans.
Al Leiter Says His 9/11 Story Has Not Changed
Speaking decades later, Leiter said his memory of the day remains unchanged.
He expressed concern about what he sees as changing narratives surrounding the attacks and argued that the historical reality should not be softened or forgotten.
Leiter emphasized the scale of the terrorist attack and the sacrifices made by first responders who rushed toward the World Trade Center.
He also stressed the importance of the phrase “Never Forget,” saying it should remain more than a slogan.
Mets and 9/11 Remain Deeply Connected
Leiter’s story is also part of the broader history connecting New York sports to the September 11 attacks.
The Mets were among the city’s teams that helped provide a sense of normalcy after the tragedy. When baseball eventually returned to New York, the games carried an emotional significance far beyond the sport.
Leiter, who played for the Mets from 1998 through 2004, was part of that historic period.
His personal story adds another layer to the memories of athletes who experienced the attacks firsthand.
25 Years Later, Leiter Remembers
A routine decision to fly home and see his daughter became an unforgettable journey through a city under attack.
Al Leiter never made it to Pittsburgh to pitch that night. Instead, he witnessed a transformed New York, watched the Twin Towers burn and learned that the country had entered a moment unlike anything he had experienced before.
Twenty-five years later, his story remains a powerful reminder of how September 11 disrupted even the most ordinary plans — and why, for those who lived through it, the memories remain vivid.
Also read: Denis Leary’s 9/11 Moment Helped Inspire ‘Rescue Me’
