For the New York Mets, third base was a revolving door in the early years of the franchise. From Don Zimmer to Ed Charles, from Wayne Garrett to Lenny Randle, from Richie Hebner to Ty Wigginton, the Mets were always searching for a solution at the hot corner. That search ended on July 21, 2004, when David Wright made his major league debut.

The young man from Norfolk, VA, who grew up a Mets fan, took his post at third base on that July day and held the job for the next twelve seasons.  In that time, he performed well on the field and was a team leader off the field. On September 29, 2018, after trying for two years to return from spinal stenosis, “Captain America” hung up his spikes.

Wright has his place all over the Mets’ record books. He is the franchise leader in the following categories:

bWAR:  49.2

At Bats: 5,998

Runs scored: 949

Hits: 1,777

Total bases: 2,945

Doubles: 390

RBIs: 970

Walks: 762

Extra base hits: 658

Times on base: 2,584

Sacrifice flys: 65

Wright provided the fans with many thrills over his 14 seasons in orange and blue. While it’s arguable which one stands out the most, I think, given the circumstances, the walk-off against Mariano Rivera rises to the top of the list.

Wright played his entire career with the Mets, and over his 14 seasons, posted a slash line of .296/.376/.491 with 242 home runs. His best season by bWAR was 2007, when he posted an 8.3 mark. He followed that season with a 6.9 bWAR in 2008.

Wright was dubbed “Captain America” during the 2013 World Baseball Classic, a title that followed him for several years. He was a seven-time all star, a two-time gold glove winner, and a two-time silver slugger winner.

In 2014, he had a sub-par season with a slash line of .269/.324/.374 with eight home runs and 63 RBIs. In an early April game in 2015 against the Phillies, Wright stole second base, and injured himself on the play. He was removed from the game, and while rehabbing the injury, was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a degenerative condition that imperiled his career.

He worked hard to return to the Mets, and did so in August in Philadelphia. He hit a famously mammoth home run in the game, and was able to remain on the roster and participate in the 2015 postseason. While he hit just .208 in the World Series, he gave the Citi Field fans (this one included) something to cheer about in game three.

Wright once again left with injury in May of 2016, and began a long road to try to return. His condition simply would not allow him to perform at the major league level, and he emotionally announced his retirement in September of 2018. He agreed to join the Mets for the last weekend of the season at Citi Field for one last goodbye.

He pinch hit on Friday, September 28, and grounded out to third base. He started the game, his last appearance in a major league game, on Saturday, September 29. Jose Reyes started at shortstop, so the two could play side-by-side one last time. Wright walked in the bottom of the first inning, and fouled out in the bottom of the fourth inning. He took the field for the top of the fifth, but was removed before a pitch was thrown. The crowd roared, the game was delayed, and no one cared. This night was about the Captain, David Wright. He acknowledged the crowd, and left the field the way he entered it fourteen years prior, with class and dignity.

Here is a Metsmerized hat-tip to David Wright, one of the best players the New York Mets franchise has ever called its own.