Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Joe Torre were among the 2001 New York Yankees present at Yankee Stadium Friday for a pregame ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The ceremony, held before the Yankees faced the New York Mets, honored victims and concluded with first pitches from Brielle Saracini and Sean Mc Guire, a married couple whose fathers died on Sept. 11, 2001.

Victor Saracini was the captain on United Flight 175, which struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Patrick Mc Guire was working on the 84th floor of the tower that morning. Brielle Saracini and Sean Mc Guire were both 10 when their fathers died. Three days after the tragedy, Saracini wrote a letter to Jeter, telling him that her father would want her to one day realize her dream of meeting him. Jeter responded by inviting Saracini and her family to Yankee Stadium for a game, beginning a friendship that continues 25 years later.

"The odds were stacked against me that day," Saracini said during a news conference Friday alongside Jeter. "But I remember just taking a minute and just having normal conversations and just feeling like a kid." Two years after the tragedy, Saracini and Mc Guire met at Camp Better Days, which was established to provide support for children who lost a parent on 9/11. They were married on Sept. 9, 2017.

Saracini said Jeter, her favorite player growing up, has helped navigate the grief. The two have remained in touch over the years, including during a cancer diagnosis when Jeter sent her a personal voicemail wishing her well. "It's a lifelong thing to now, still, 25 years later. The kindness does not stop," Saracini said.