David Wright's career highlights with the Mets
Mets third baseman David Wright as he left the field during his final game on Sept. 29, 2018. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
The Mets are honoring David Wright on Saturday by retiring his No. 5 and inducting him into the Mets Hall of Fame. Here are some selected career highlights from Wright's 14 years with the Mets:
July 21, 2004, Shea Stadium
David Wright makes his MLB debut in front of 30,227 fans. He went 0-for-4 in a 5-4 win over the Expos but doubled off Zach Day the next day for his first career hit.
July 26, 2004, Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Hits first career home run — off Montreal's John Patterson.
June 18, 2005, Safeco Field, Seattle
Wright leaped into the stands to make a spectacular grab on Raul Ibanez's foul popup for the final out of the fourth inning of a 4-1 loss to the Mariners.
Aug. 9, 2005, Petco Park, San Diego
Wright backtracked into shallow leftfield to make an over-the-shoulder barehanded grab and rob Brian Giles of a base hit in an 8-3 loss to the Padres.
May 19, 2006, Shea Stadium
Wright delivered a walk-off single to the centerfield wall off Mariano Rivera with two outs in the ninth to give the Mets a 7-6 win over the Yankees. Wright went 3-for-5 with two runs.
July 11, 2006, PNC Park, Pittsburgh
In his first All-Star Game, Wright hit a solo home run off Kenny Rogers in the second inning. He went 7-for-18 with a .977 OPS in his seven All-Star appearances.
Sept. 16, 2007, Shea Stadium
Wright hit a solo homer in the seventh inning to become the 29th player in MLB history, and third Met, to join the 30-30 club. He finished the season with 30 home runs and 34 stolen bases.
March 17, 2009, Dolphin Stadium, Miami
With Team USA facing elimination in the World Baseball Classic, Wright hit a walk-off, two-run single in the ninth inning of a 6-5 win over Puerto Rico to send the USA into the semifinals.
April 13, 2009, Citi Field
Wright hit the first Mets home run in Citi Field history. The three-run blast tied the score at 5 in the fifth inning. The Mets lost to the Padres, 6-5.
April 27, 2010, Citi Field
In the fifth inning of the second game of a doubleheader against the Dodgers, Wright got his 1,000th career hit, an RBI single to give the Mets a 4-3 lead. Wright hit a three-run triple in the sixth and the Mets won, 10-5.
Aug 24, 2012, Citi Field
Wright hit his 200th career home run, a solo blast to rightfield in the fourth inning of a 3-1 loss to the Astros. With 242 career homers, Wright is behind only Darryl Strawberry (252) and Pete Alonso (247) on the Mets’ all-time list.
Sept. 26, 2012, Citi Field
Wright beat out a ground ball for an infield single to pass Ed Kranepool as the Mets’ all-time hits leader with 1,419. He went 2-for-4 with a run in a 6-0 win over the Pirates. One night earlier, Wright homered and hit a two-run single to tie Kranepool’s record. He finished his career with 1,777 hits, the Mets’ record.
March 9, 2013, Chase Field, Phoenix
Wright hit a go-ahead grand slam in the fifth inning of Team USA’s 6-2 win over Italy in World Baseball Classic pool play to bolster his “Captain America" nickname. Wright went 7-for-16 in the Classic with 10 RBIs but was forced to leave Team USA early with a ribcage injury.
March 21, 2013, Port St. Lucie, Florida
Wright was named the fourth captain in Mets history in a Spring Training ceremony. Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and John Franco are the only other Mets to earn the honor.
Feb. 2014
Wright is chosen as the "Face of MLB" in an online fan-voting contest, narrowly beating out Oakland Athletics infielder Eric Sogard.
Aug. 24, 2015, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
Earlier in the season, the Mets were unsure if Wright would ever play again after being diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a degenerative back condition. He made his return four months later and hit a home run to the second deck in his first at-bat back as the Mets won, 16-7.
Oct. 30, 2015, Citi Field
Wright hit a two-run home run in the first inning of Game 3 of the World Series. He went 2-for-5 with four RBIs in a 9-3 win, the Mets’ only one of the series against Kansas City.
Sept. 29, 2018, Citi Field
Wright made his final start, in which was removed in the fifth inning to a loud ovation from the crowd. Following the game, Wright addressed the 43,928 fans at Citi Field saying, “This is love.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
