Photo credit – Ashley Pavlakis
All is right in the world, indeed.
New York Mets third baseman David Wright was honored with the long-awaited jersey retirement ceremony on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field.
Wright was drafted by the New York Mets in 2001. The Virginia native spent three years in the minor leagues with the St. Lucie Mets, Binghamton Mets, and Norfolk Tides before eventually getting the call-up to The Show. On July 21, 2004, David Wright took his rightful place at third base in his major league debut at Shea Stadium versus the Montreal Expos.
The future Hall of Famer had his number retired on Saturday afternoon, making him the eleventh Met to earn the honor. Of those players, Wright is the only one to have spent the entirety of his professional playing career with the New York Mets.
David Wright is synonymous with baseball, Queens, New York, and the Mets. The Captain, as he was belovedly known in the clubhouse, truly bled blue and orange. Players who have come and gone through the organization are quick to praise Wright for his leadership on and off the field.
Hey now, you’re an All-Star, David. The third baseman holds the record for most ASG appearances as a Met with seven (‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘12,‘13). In addition, he won the Gold Glove Award twice (‘07, ‘08), the Silver Slugger Award twice (‘07, ‘08), and Player of the Year (‘05). Notably, he won the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2008 for his contributions to charity through the work of his foundation.
Citi Field was decked out with number five all weekend long. Centerfield has a five cut into the grass. Number five was all over the signage throughout the ballpark. The team store was stocked up on Wright memorabilia to commemorate the special day. And now, number five sits atop Citi Field honoring the career of the beloved Captain.
“It’s just an amazing experience that’s only going to get better, thanks to the organization. Steven and Alex [Cohen], they really made this nothing but first-class. They’ve gone over the top in accommodating more people than they certainly should’ve,” said Wright.
On Sunday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd, the Mets executed another promotional giveaway. The first 15,000 fans in attendance received a limited-edition David Wright bobblehead. The bobblehead is of Wright sporting his Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards while repping the pinstripe white jersey with Mets across the chest.
“There was nothing that I could do to do the thing anymore [baseball], it was done. It took a while for my brain and my heart to kind of match up with that. I think that very few athletes get the ending that they want, the storybook ending. I certainly wouldn’t call mine a storybook ending, but it’s better than 99% of what athletes get. I’ll forever be thankful for getting that opportunity,” said Wright.
Wright had been battling a back injury, spinal stenosis, since 2015. He played on and off for three years before deciding to hang up the cleats after officially hearing his condition would not improve.
“The sendoff that the organization and the fans gave me, I guess I truly realized at that moment the bond that I’m gonna have with this organization and this city for the rest of my life,” said Wright.
In front of a sold-out stadium, Wright took to the field with his wife Molly, and three children Olivia, Madison, and Brooks. He dedicated part of his speech to his family, thanking them for their sacrifices along the way.
Howie Rose kicked off the ceremony with a speech of his own before turning it over to the Captain. In attendance were some of his longtime teammates, Daniel Murphy and Jose Reyes. Two former Mets who certainly weren’t going to miss the special day.
“You guys are trying to make me cry, don’t do it! This is unbelievable, the last time I took this microphone was just before midnight on September 29, 2018. We won 1-0 in extra innings.
I drew a walk and popped out to the first baseman. Now that might not seem very memorable to most of you, but to me, that meant the world. That night, I fully realized the extent of the relationship I developed with the city of New York and, in particular, this Mets fan base,” said an emotional Wright as he took to the podium.
Wright put in the work every single day to be the best player and teammate he could possibly be. Mets fans had the pleasure of watching 15 seasons of high-quality baseball come out of David Wright. In 5,998 at-bats, Wright produced 1,777 hits that accounted for 390 doubles, 26 triples, 242 home runs, 970 RBIs, 949 runs scored, and 196 stolen bases.
“I learned at a relatively young age that there is no magic pixie dust that you can just sprinkle on a kid and ta-da, magically become the third baseman for the New York Mets. For me, looking back on it, the recipe was pretty simple. Want it more than everybody else, and be willing to work harder than everybody else,” said Wright.
David Wright is the heart and soul of New York Mets baseball, and that is definitely not up for debate.
“Now, whether or not I earned this love, this respect, can probably be debated. I never accomplished my goal of bringing a World Series back to Queens. But I promise you, I gave it everything I had and wanted it just as badly as you did. I think this fanbase recognized that and was always willing to genuinely have my back and support me unconditionally through the good and the bad. For that, I will always be thankful,” said Wright.
Wright, a kid from Norfolk, Virginia, came to Queens with a dream. That was to play Major League Baseball. As a fan, I can proudly say we love you, too, David.
“Thank you so much for allowing me to live out my dream in front of you each night.
I love you so much. Let’s Go Mets!” said Wright.
