Gary Vought

President George W. Bush delivers the ceremonial first pitch from the top of the Yankee Stadium mound before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series on Tuesday night, October 30, 2001 — exactly seven weeks after the September 11 attacks. He wore an FDNY jacket over a bulletproof vest, and his pitch was a strike, taken by Yankees backup catcher Todd Greene. Bush, a former managing general partner of the Texas Rangers, had planned to throw from in front of the mound until Derek Jeter, who had warmed up near him in the batting cage beneath the stands, told him to throw from the rubber — and, as Bush recalled it, added: "Don't bounce it, they'll boo you." The ballpark was guarded like no ballgame before it — fans passed through metal detectors, snipers watched from the roof and a Secret Service agent stood on the field disguised as an umpire. Bush walked to the mound alone, gave the crowd of 55,820 a thumbs-up and threw his strike through chants of "U-S-A" — a moment he later called the most nervous of his entire presidency. The season had stopped for six days after the attacks, and baseball's return had already given New York Mike Piazza's home run in the first game back at Shea Stadium on September 21. Now the Yankees, down two games to none to Arizona, won the night's game behind him: Roger Clemens allowed three hits and struck out nine over seven innings, Jorge Posada homered, Scott Brosius singled home Bernie Williams in the sixth, and Mariano Rivera retired all six men he faced to close a 2-1 win. New York took Games 4 and 5 in extra innings, but the Diamondbacks won the Series in seven — Luis Gonzalez's bloop single off Rivera in the ninth inning of Game 7 ended the Yankees' run of three straight championships. ⚾ Twenty-five years on, Bush's strike from the top of the mound is still called the greatest ceremonial first pitch ever thrown — does any other first pitch come close? 👇️