David Wright Says Good Bye in Final MLB Game

The date was October 2, 2005. 

With the exception of the heartbreaking collapses that would come down the road in 2007 and 2008, there weren’t many Sunday afternoons in late September/early October that would make Mets fans want to sit through nine innings of a team just trying to end its season. 

There was no postseason on the horizon for the ’05 Mets, something that Mets fans grew accustomed to for five conservative seasons at this point.  But this day was different.

October 2, 2005 was Mike Piazza’s final game as a New York Met.  For someone, like myself, who was only 20 years old at the time, Piazza was on my personal Mount Rushmore of baseball icons. He gave myself, and many Mets fans, moments of joy from the various homers he hit off Roger Clemens and the Yankees to the historic homerun against the Atlanta Braves in the first game at Shea Stadium post-9/11.

Shea was rocking that day. Fans jammed the old ballpark with signs that read “Thank you Mike” and chants of “Mike Pi-az-za” that echoed through the confines of Shea Stadium from the first pitch.

It was an emotional day.

When Willie Randolph finally substituted Piazza with Mike Difelice in the top of the eighth, Piazza received a standing ovation that lasted nearly 10 minutes. It was hard to watch and there certainly wasn’t a dry eye in the house that day in Shea.

13 years later, we had that moment again.

David Wright’s career came to a sobering conclusion in front of a full house at Citi Field. Like Piazza’s final day all those years earlier, there were tears and smiles. The signs that once read “Thank you, Mike,” now read “Thank you, David.”

While Piazza’ revitalized a franchise when he first came over via a trade with the Florida Marlins in 1998, Wright was the guy who carried the torch. He along with Jose Reyes was the face of the franchise for the better part of the last decade. Even when spinal stenosis, and a bulging disc took away a fair amount of Wright’s career, he was still considered “the captain” of the Mets.

While the box score Saturday read that Wright was 0-for-1 with a walk, it didn’t really matter, because this night was both a coronation of a long and even painful road back, and a sad goodbye to memorable career.

Certainly had Wright driven in Jose Reyes in the bottom of the first inning, the upper deck probably would have collapsed with excitement, but when Mickey Callaway removed Wright from the game before the top of the fifth, allowing him to take in the moment, it was hard not to get emotional.

Wright gave a bear hug to his buddy Jose Reyes, the tears obviously welling up in both of their eyes. In 2006 when the two celebrated a National League East title, it was supposed to be the beginning of a dynasty. Instead fate had a different plan.

Wright then turned toward the dugout, looked up around him at the thousands of people who stood cheering and clapping. He smiled, and cried as he waved goodbye, hugged all of his teammates, before taking one last curtain call. Then, like Piazza did 13 years ago, Wright walked down the tunnel …  for the clubhouse … for the final time.

It’s never easy to say goodbye to our baseball heroes. Whether it is Piazza, Wright, or even Derek Jeter across town in the Bronx, they remind us who we are, who we were and where we were in our lives. When they leave, a piece of us as baseball fans leaves as well.

For the young Met fan that grew up watching David Wright, one can only imagine the tears flowing from their eyes to see their baseball hero say goodbye.

 

As I’ve told many friends before, you know you’re getting old when your favorite stars exit stage left.