Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the story of the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2001 World Series championship remains inseparable from the story of a nation in mourning.
A walk through the Diamondbacks Hall of Fame stirs powerful memories for World Series star Luis Gonzalez.
"This brings back great memories," Gonzalez said.
"But it also brings back memories of what happened on 9/11," he said.
The first game of the 2001 World Series was played just 46 days after the 9/11 attacks — the deadliest attack ever on American soil.
"These were the biggest games of our careers," Gonzalez said."But at the same time we didn't want to lose perspective of what was going on in the world," he said.
Search crews were still digging through the smoldering rubble of the Twin Towers as the Diamondbacks entered a city stunned by grief. The team made a point to acknowledge the moment and the people who responded to it.
"We made a decision as a team to go out and pay our respects and also to thank all the first responders who were out there," Gonzalez said.
Yankees fans were hoping their hometown team could bring home a record fourth World Series win.
With snipers in the light towers and bomb-sniffing dogs in the locker room, the nation held its breath as President Bush took the mound to throw out the first pitch before Game 3.
"It was a sense of we're back ... we're all together ... we're in this together, and sports is a way for people to forget all their troubles, their problems.... it's a healing process for a lot of people," Gonzalez said.
After 3 Yankees wins in New York, the series moved back to Arizona and was tied. Game 7, bottom of the ninth, bases loaded — Gonzalez found himself in the moment he had always imagined.
"I found myself in that moment that you dream about as a little kid," he said.
Gonzalez's bloop single sealed the deal. The Diamondbacks became the fastest expansion team to ever win a World Series.
Now, 25 years later, Gonzalez reflects on what that championship meant beyond baseball.
"It's a shame that it took a tragedy like that to bring people together," he said.
For Gonzalez, the legacy of that season is ultimately a story of how sports can unite and heal even in the face of immense suffering.
"We were all one at that moment, and if we could get that back and bring everybody together, we'll be in a lot better place," he said.
