NEW YORK _ David Wright walked onto the field in the bottom of the fourth inning in the Mets' eventual 8-1 loss to the Marlins. As soon as the small crowd at Citi Field recognized the familiar walk, they got up and began cheering. After two years of battling back, neck and shoulder injuries, Wright was preparing for his first major-league at-bat since May 27, 2016.
It was just a tease in the fourth, as Kevin Plawecki popped out to end the inning.
Throughout the top of the fifth, Wright swung and paced in the dugout. As soon as the Mets got the third out, Wright popped back up out of the dugout and the fans stood with him throughout the commercial break. They roared when he was finally announced:
"Pinch hitting, No.5, David Wright. Wright, pinch hitting."
Wright jumped on the first pitch he saw, grounding out to third base. After 855 days between big-league at-bats, it did not seem to matter to the Mets fans or his teammates. Everyone at Citi Field stood and applauded Wright's return. That included his wife and two-year-old daughter, who had never seen her father play in a big-league game.
Saturday will be Wright's final game. The injuries that have plagued him over the last two years have made it impossible for him to continue his career. But he wanted, deserved and got one last weekend to say goodbye to the fans, the teammates and the game.
Friday night was the beginning of that farewell.
