After the September 11 attacks , all American Major League Baseball stadiums started playing God Bless America during the seventh-inning stretch for the remainder of the 2001 season . Many teams ceased this practice the following season , although it has continued in post-season events at many cities and become a tradition at Yankee Stadium alongside '' Take Me Out to the Ballgame . '' Usually , a recording of the song by Kate Smith is played , although sometimes there is a live performance by Irish tenor Ronan Tynan . For part of the 2005 season , the Yankees used a recording of Tynan , but the Kate Smith version was reinstated due to fan complaints about the long duration of the Tynan version . For the final game at Yankee Stadium , Tynan performed " God Bless America " live , including the rarely heard introduction to the song ( which Tynan includes every time he performs the song at a Yankees game )
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Yankee Stadium (1923)