World Series Champion Al Leiter highlights the new documentary, Never Forget: How Baseball Healed the Nation After 9/11, as he explains the shift from feeling that a baseball game was insignificant to realizing that the sport served as a necessary distraction for a grieving city after the 9/11 attacks.

He recounts the intense atmosphere and heavy security at the first game back at Shea Stadium, where a solemn environment eventually shifted into a moment of collective hope. Al also describes the Mets players' devotion and their defiance of league rules to continue wearing hats representing New York City’s first responders throughout the season.

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