The New York Mets honored one of the most beloved players in franchise history Saturday afternoon and officially retired longtime third baseman David Wright’s No. 5 in a pregame ceremony at Citi Field. They marked the occasion with a big No. 5 on the Home Run Apple in center field.
“I never accomplished my goal of bringing a World Series back to Queens, but I promise you I gave it everything I had and wanted it just as badly as you did,” Wright said during the ceremony while flanked by his family, teammates, coaches, and Mets legends. “… That night [of my final game], I fully realized the extent of the relationship I had developed with the city of New York, and in particular this Mets fanbase.”
Wright, 42, was the No. 38 overall pick in the 2001 draft and spent his entire professional career with the Mets. Over his 14 years in Queens, Wright authored a batting line of .296/.376/.491 (133 OPS+) with 242 home runs; 390 doubles; 196 stolen bases; and 1,777 hits. Along the way, he amassed seven All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and four top-10 finishes in the National League MVP vote. Wright’s career WAR of 49.2 ranks second all-time in Mets franchise history — behind leader Tom Seaver and just ahead of Dwight Gooden.
Absent so many injuries, Wright would probably be headed for the Hall of Fame. However, a series of back, neck, and shoulder injuries cut his career short, and ate into the late-career value he was able to muster. Still and yet, Wright holds Mets franchise records for walks, hits, doubles, RBI, and runs scored, among other things. He played his final game in September 2018.
Since taking control of the Mets in November 2020, owner Steve Cohen has embraced the club’s history and honored several of the team’s all-time greats. Gooden (No. 16), Keith Hernandez (No. 17), Darryl Strawberry (No. 18), Jerry Koosman (No. 36), and Willie Mays (No. 24), and now Wright (No. 5) have all had their numbers retired since Cohen purchased the team.
No. 5 is the 11th retired number in Mets history, joining No. 14 (Gi Hodges), No. 16 (Gooden), No. 17 (Hernandez), No. 18 (Strawberry), No. 24 (Mays), No. 31 (Mike Piazza), No. 36 (Koosman), No. 37 (Casey Stengel), No. 41 (Seaver), and the universally retired No. 42 (Jackson Robinson).