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Michael Cuddyer home run keeps Brad Thomas off doomed 9/11 flight

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 10, 2026, 5:07 PM

Last updated Sep 10, 2026

Michael Cuddyer home run keeps Brad Thomas off doomed 9/11 flight

Summary

A 2001 playoff home run by Michael Cuddyer for the New Britain Rock Cats indirectly spared pitcher Brad Thomas from being on American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. The Rock Cats faced the Norwich Navigators in the Eastern League divisional playoffs when Cuddyer hit a decisive walk-off home run that extended the team's season. Because the team remained in the playoffs, the travel plans for Thomas and his wife to fly from Boston to Los Angeles were delayed. They were originally scheduled to be on the flight that was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center. The connection between the baseball game and the flight was identified by team staff and players following the tragedy. The event has since been recognized as a significant piece of history for the franchise.

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By the Numbers

•Michael Cuddyer hit a walk-off home run for the New Britain Rock Cats against the Norwich Navigators.
•The victory extended the team's postseason run by one week in September 2001.
•Brad Thomas had pre-booked travel on the flight that was hijacked on September 11.
•The extra playoff games prevented Thomas from boarding American Airlines Flight 11.
•Thomas spent five seasons playing at the Major League level.

Latest Updates

5:38 PMYahoo Sports — The home run that saved a life on 9/11

What they're saying

"
The fate of a playoff series unknowingly kept Brad Thomas off American Airlines Flight 11 on Sept. 11, 2001. At the center of the unlikely chain of events was a young Michael Cuddyer and a walk-off home run.
— Yahoo Sportsby Jeff Eisenberg

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