Of all the players who celebrated after the New York Mets clinched their first division title in nine years, David Wright is most deserving.
By David Hong
The New York Mets finally clinched the NL East division crown after their 10-2 win over the Reds. They’ll be in the playoffs for the first time sine 2006.
This was a well deserved team effort. Everyone contributed to this special moment. So many players to give credit for.
But the player who deserves this celebration the most, has to be the Mets captain David Wright.
David Wright has played for only the Mets in his career. Drafted in 2001, he came to the major league in 2004 and instantly became a potential star. And he was a big part of the 2006 NL East champion Mets team that won 97 games.
But while Wright became an All Star, him and the Mets went through a lot of hard times. The Mets collapsed the following year, blowing a 7 game lead with 17 games left and missed the playoffs on the final regular season day. Then in 2008, the Mets blew a 3 1/2 game lead with 17 left and also missed the playoffs on the last day.
SO happy for David Wright!! pic.twitter.com/bSYofC8nFf
— Matthew Cerrone (@matthewcerrone) September 26, 2015
Then when the Mets moved to Citifield in 2009, the Mets started their string of six straight losing seasons. David Wright struggled to hit home runs at spacious Citi Field and that year, he was also beamed in the head by a Matt Cain fastball. And in 2011, he missed a large part of that season with a back injury. Wright bounced back and became an All Star again in 2012 and in 2013 but he went to the DL again with a hamstring injury in the second half of 2013.
In 2014, he played through a shoulder injury which really affected his performance. And finally this season, Wright missed most of the year with a hamstring and spinal stenosis. So David Wright went through a lot during these hard moments. Yet he still played hard and most importantly stayed loyal to this franchise by re-signing with them in the 2012 offseason.
Wright has been a great player for the most part and a class act. This is why I was very happy for him and why he truly earned this moment. A lot of people thought David wouldn’t come back from the spinal stenosis. But he did because he worked hard. It was a perfect ending to see Wright drive in the last 3 Mets runs with the 3 run home run in the 9th inning. So congrats David Wright and the 2015 NY Mets.
David Wright: “I couldn’t be more proud to wear the orange and blue.” pic.twitter.com/3t9xQDkxnT
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 26, 2015
