NEW YORK  — Mariano Rivera remembers being home that day on what started out as a beautiful morning. His mother-in-law was watching the news and he heard her screaming: The first plane had hit the World Trade Center. Then he saw the second one do the same.

Jorge Posada was at the hospital with his ailing son when he heard the commotion in the hallway and thought “the worst was coming.”

Derek Jeter recalled meeting all those families and firefighters who lost loved ones.

“It was hard,” Rivera said, “for everybody.”

Three longtime stars with the New York Yankees reflected on 9/11 as the team marked the 10-year anniversary with a ceremony Wednesday before a game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld took part in the on-field tribute to soldiers, rescue workers and victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The salute was held four days early at Yankee Stadium because the team will be in the middle of a long road trip Sunday.

“What I remember of those days is that the whole country got together. That’s a beautiful thing,” Rivera said at a pregame news conference. “I wish it was still like that, but it’s not. The whole country, the whole U.S. got together and it was amazing. Everybody helping everyone, it didn’t matter what race or color you were. We were here for one nation and fighting and trying to move forward and that’s exactly what we did.”

The ceremony began with a message from first lady Michelle Obama on the big video board in center field and lasted about 15 minutes. The team asked fans to be in their seats 35 minutes before the first pitch, but only a few thousand made it in time on a rainy, blustery weekday afternoon.