Wright's goodbye

The Captain.

There's not much more that needs to be said about David Wright that you haven't already heard if you're a fan of the New York Mets, or just a fan of baseball. The man was everything about a leader that you could want in a human being playing a game for a living. He never retreated from a tough question. He never quit trying even after a stress fracture in the back, spinal stenosis, shoulder and neck surgeries. He always was there for his teammates. He led by example. His baseball acumen had him on a Hall of Fame career track, but those aforementioned injuries derailed any chance of that years ago.

Last night the fans returned the favor to Wright for one last time at Citi Field. A packed house of over 43,000 brought signs to show their adoration of him, serenaded him with cheers, and stood while applauding the greatest position player the Mets have ever known. Apologies to Carlos Beltran, who came up with Kansas City before joining the Mets as a free agent.

Wright drew a walk in the first inning, and you would have thought he hit one over the Shea Bridge from the response it drew from the crowd. In the second inning he handled his only chance in the field, making a smooth throw across the diamond to retire  the Marlins Bryan Holaday. He'd come to bat one final time in the fourth. He popped out to Peter O'Brien, who snagged the ball in foul territory and was vehemently booed by the Citi Field faithful on a level that rivaled other hated opponents in Mets history like Chase Utley and John Rocker. He took his place in the field at third base one last time in the top of the fifth and was removed by Mets manager Mickey Callaway to a standing ovation. He embraced his infield partner Jose Reyes and then made his way to the dugout, where all of his teammates awaited to shake his hand one last time as an active player.

Wright's career highlights are numerous for me and most other die hard Mets fans. His first hit, way back in 2004, a double down the third base line at Shea Stadium against the Montreal Expos. His amazing barehanded, over-the-shoulder catch while on a dead sprint in San Diego has to be a top 10 defensive moment of all time. His walk-off hit to beat Mariano Rivera and the crosstown rival Yankees in a regular season Subway Series matchup. He probably wins NL MVP in 2007, but the Mets epic collapse in losing the division to Philadelphia cost him. His monstrous home run in Game 3 of the 2015 World Series that had Citi rocking like the Shea days.

Here are my favorite moments. I witnessed Wright homer in person only twice, since I live in South Florida I only catch a few games per season.  He hit a three-run bomb in 2008 as part of a 13-0 Mets win over the Marlins. Dinger number two would come in June of 2014, as Wright provided the only run of the night to support Zack Wheeler's shutout of the Fish. His heroics for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic stir up some fond memories of me drinking heavily in an Irish bar in 2009 and going completely batshit when Wright drove in the winning run to avoid elimination against Puerto Rico. His grand slam in the 2013 WBC also brought me to my feet as Captain America was truly born there. When Wright returned from a long DL stint in 2015, he hit a mammoth home run in Philadelphia in his first plate appearance back. I was watching on my phone while waiting for my flight to leave LaGuardia Airport when he launched that ball to the fucking moon. I may have scared some of the airport security with my outburst. Finally, in Game 1 of the 2015 NLDS against the Dodgers, I happened to be visiting New York and watching the game with a ton of other fans at a small bar in Bellmore. Wright ripped a two-run single putting the Mets up 3-0 and giving all of us some breathing room. I've never enjoyed high-fiving and hugging a bunch of strangers any more than that night.

Thank you for the memories, David.

Thank you, Captain.