George W Bush recalls moment with Derek Jeter before nerve-wracking pitch at Yankee Stadium after 9/11

Former President George W. Bush recalled Wednesday a lighthearted moment he shared with New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium just weeks after 9/11.

Bush told the story alongside Condoleezza Rice, his national security advisor at the time of the attacks, during a reunification event at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas. 

During the World Series in October 2001, Bush said he was feeling the pressure of leading the nation through a fragile moment when Jeter told him before the game, "Don’t bounce it, they’ll boo you." 

As the audience chuckled at the joke, Bush recalled feeling the raw emotions inside the NYC stadium as he walked to the mound at center field.

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"I looked at the catcher, he looked really tiny, and the ball felt really heavy," Bush said.

While scanning the faces in the crowd, Bush said he could imagine people thinking, "You can knock down our buildings, but you d— sure not going to touch our soul."

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Bush recalled throwing the ball, which made it over the plate, and described the moment as "memorable."

"I mean, it was an amazing feeling," he said.

This coming Friday will mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes in a coordinated attack against the United States. 

Two of the flights struck New York City’s Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, sending both buildings crashing down and causing mass casualties. A third flight struck the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while the fourth crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the terror attacks, including hundreds of firefighters and police officers.