The end of the line comes for all athletes, whether by choice, chance, or force.
For David Wright, that almost came by force on May 27, 2016, when Wright played in what many later thought would be his last MLB game before back issues wrecked his career. The Mets’ captain persevered, though, and 28 months later, Wright made three plate appearances in the team’s final series of 2018 against the Marlins.
And it took Wright almost that long to come to terms with the fact that his career was, in essence, already over.
“It was always for me that my mind told me I could do it but my body told me I couldn’t – so once my mind finally matched my body, I was emotional about it,” Wright said. “Every athlete wants to write their own ending, go out on their own terms. I’ll never forget Jeff Wilpon flew out to Los Angeles, and I spoke with him in the manager’s office; I started crying and told him that physically, I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Wright, though, had one request for the Mets COO who stuck by him for so long.
“I said, ‘I know this is a huge request, but please allow me to play one more game – selfishly, for my family and my daughters, but I want to say thank you,” he said. “I want to say thank you to the fans, the organization, and the city for the support they gave me. That’s a big ask, especially for someone that hadn’t played in two years, but he said, ‘David, I promise you I will do everything in my power to make it happen.’ He didn’t have to do that.”
And, of course, it happened. A token farewell for sure, as the Mets were already eliminated from postseason contention and Wright’s appearances were more ceremonial than anything, but Sept. 28 and 29, 2018 still goes down as his official goodbye.
Wright appeared as a pinch-hitter on Sept. 27, grounding out, and then, the next night, after two plate appearances – a walk and a foul out – and a few innings in the field, Wright said goodbye.
“I wish I could’ve gone out with a bang, and competed a little better at the plate, but when I look back on that, it puts such a big smile on my face,” Wright said. “I wish I could have gone out differently, but outside of getting a hit, it couldn’t have ended any better. What a cool way to end that relationship.”
Not the best result at the plate, but Mets did win that finale, and Wright got that chance he craved.
“I was at the park about noon, and dozens of fans were already there; they gave me a standing ovation in the parking lot, so I went out to say thank you, take some pictures and sign some autographs,” Wright said. “I didn’t know what it was going to be like, if anyone cared or would show up, and to look at the love and support I got, one of the coolest things ever.”
A memory to last a lifetime.
“Thinking about it years later, it still chokes me up,” he said, “because I really appreciate the support.”
Check out the video clip below, and tune in to WFAN’s Facebook page at 8 p.m. Tuesday night for the premiere of Wright’s full 45-minute video interview with Howie Rose!
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