Trey Wingo Fondly Recalls Epic First Pitch ‘Bullet’ from President Bush After 9/11: ‘I’m Getting Goosebumps Just Talking About it’

Remembering September 11, 2001 on its 20th anniversary, former ESPN host Trey Wingo recalled the impact sports had on the country’s ability to recover.

A memory that stands out to Wingo was then President George W. Bush attending the 2001 World Series. Specifically, his walk out to the Yankee Stadium mound to throw the honorary first pitch with a crowd of 49,646 in the stands and millions more watching from home. Wingo referenced it as one of the most emotional moments after 9/11.

“I don’t care who you voted for,” Wingo said on his podcast Half-Forgotten History. “I don’t care what you’re political affiliations are. That moment – when President Bush walked out to that mound and obviously he was wearing a flak jacket underneath, but stood there and basically said ‘hear I am, take your best shot.’ And delivered a bullet of a strike over the plate.”

“We’re not gonna do the story of the Iraq war,” Wingo’s guest Bob Ley added, noting that there are much less admirable moments from Bush’s tenure as president. “It’s that moment. And that moment was special. It gave essence sort of like FDR in front of Congress, December 8, 1941.”

Recently inducted Hall-of-Famer Derek Jeter didn’t do anything to calm the nerves for Bush, warning the president not to bounce the ball or 50,000 New Yorkers would serenade him with boos. Certainly experiencing a level of fear and pressure, Bush stepped on the mound and delivered arguably the most important first pitch in the history of Major League Baseball.

Watch above via the Half-Forgotten History podcast