He ran onto the Citi Field diamond with the same hustle and spring in his step when he entered the Shea grounds for his debut 14 years earlier. He still flashed that same smile fans were so accustomed to. On the penultimate day of the regular season, Wright said goodbye to a New York audience that watched him grow up before its eyes.
With setbacks that likely would’ve forced a less determined player to give up, Wright was too steadfast to go out a broken man. But there was more than pride motivating him to make one final return. He wanted his young daughters—both of whom were born during his prolonged rehab—to get a chance to watch him play, in addition to getting one last opportunity to show his appreciation to New York.
By announcing he’d be in uniform for the last series of the 2018 schedule, Wright did go out on his terms. But those terms were severely altered by debilitating pain that barely allowed him to play.
After returning the night before to several standing ovations welcoming Wright returned for the first time in over two years, an anticipatory Citi Field sellout crowd was there for the finale against the Miami Marlins. Wright caught the first pitch from his 2-year old Olivia before taking his customary spot at third base by his lonesome. He had to wave his teammates out to join. One of them was Reyes, starting beside Wright for the 878th time, the most games together for any duo in Mets history.
Wright made two plate appearances: drawing a walk in the first and popping out to foul territory (thanks a lot Peter O’Brien) in the fourth.
Before the fifth inning began, it was time for the final send-off and a long, deserved ovation.
Wright holds nearly every meaningful Mets hitting record. He’s the all-time leader in at-bats and has the second most games played in orange and blue. There’s a strong case for Wright being the greatest position player, with a 50.4 WAR that’s second to Tom Seaver. Yet there was a bittersweet nature to his ending.
Wright’s body betrayed him. It happens to some. It doesn’t usually happen to the extent with which it hindered him in the prime of what was bound to be a Hall of Fame career.
Wright still is securely placed with Seaver and Mike Piazza as a pillar of this franchise. But no player better understood the passion of the fan base.
“I live and die with this team,” Wright said. “When I see the fans take losses hard, when I see the fans smiling from ear to ear after a win, I’m that same way in the clubhouse. And I’d like to think that that’s what made this connection between the fans and me so strong, is that I relate to them, they relate to me, and we have similar feelings when it comes to the New York Mets.”
