Hot Wright ties Strawberry's club RBI mark
David Wright hits against the Atlanta Braves. (April 18, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
ATLANTA -- As David Wright talked yesterday about tying Darryl Strawberry for the franchise RBI record, he relived the days of growing up a Mets' fan in Virginia Beach and imitating the slugger. For that reason, it seemed only natural for Wright to share the mark with Strawberry, even momentarily, as he soon will own the record by himself.
"It's kind of funny to think of that way," Wright said. "Seeing quite a few Mets games on TV. I remember as a kid, trying to give the big leg kick, going out in the backyard and trying to be Darryl Strawberry for the day."
Wright went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs in the Mets' 14-6 loss to the Braves at Turner Field. He earned a share of the Mets' RBI title with a run-scoring infield single in the fifth inning. The Rockies' Todd Helton is the only other active player who owns his club's RBI record with 1,316.
"I've never got caught up too much in the numbers part of it," Wright said. "I think that's something when all is said and done, you can look back and beat your chest a little bit. It's so tough to do that now because we're a couple of weeks into the season. It's tough to enjoy something like that after a day like today."
Blowout aside, Wright hasn't let his fractured finger get him down. With two more hits, Wright extended his club record streak to nine games of reaching base at least twice via a hit or walk to start a season. It's also the longest streak in the majors since Mike Cameron did it in 2002. After missing three games with the finger injury, Wright is 10-for-22 with a home run and still leads the majors in hitting with a .500 average.
"He's off to a great start and it's fun to watch him play," Terry Collins said. "It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, he's going to try to put a good at-bat on and I think that's the key. Right now he reminds me of what I saw in Jeff Bagwell in 1994 when he was the MVP. There was not an at-bat he gave away. David is on one of those streaks right now."
It may not look that way, but Wright is still coping with the discomfort from the broken finger. He's constantly squeezing clay before games to strengthen his grip, and it's not something that goes away overnight. The bone will take another five weeks or so to heal.
"I got to get it better," Wright said. "But so far, so good."
