Wright breaks out with 'perfect swing' HR

David Wright snapped a career-high hitless streak of 20 at-bats with a fourth-inning home run last night, employing what manager Terry Collins described as "the perfect swing."

Forced to watch the Mets' 9-1 victory over the Astros in the Citi Field clubhouse after getting ejected in the first inning, Collins was so moved by Wright's swing that he encouraged the third baseman to watch the replay for himself. But Wright said he doesn't need video to know his swing was on target.

"Any time you hit a home run in this place," Wright said, "it's got to take a pretty good swing."

Wright's shot came on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, when he crushed an 89-mph fastball from lefthander J.A. Happ into the left-centerfield seats at spacious Citi Field. Wright added a two-run double in the fifth, improving to 6-for-11 with three home runs against the Astros pitcher.

"I know I haven't gotten a hit in a while, but I felt pretty comfortable up there, had some good at-bats, hit some balls hard," Wright said. He added that he feels at his best when he's swinging at "60-to-70" percent effort, as opposed to a "max effort" type of swing when he's scuffling at the plate.

What Collins liked so much about Wright's home run swing against Happ was that he kept his head down long enough that he still was looking at the point of contact even after the ball left the bat.

It definitely was a hit Wright needed; he struck out 10 times during the hitless streak of 20 at-bats. And by going 2-for-3, Wright improved his average from .229 to .247.

Wright celebrated by wearing a cutoff shirt featuring himself mid-swing during his post-game workout, which he said he'll continue to do after home wins to mock himself for the fun of his teammates.

Said Wright, "I'll treat the guys a little bit."