David Wright will end his franchise-record streak of 1,546 games without a World Series appearance when he takes the field tonight during Game 1 of the Fall Classic.
“You try to think about the road that got you to this point, I guess,” Wright said. “So, for the first time you try to get a little bit more philosophical about it, you think about your little league days, playing travel ball, being drafted, coming up through the minor leagues, going to the playoffs really early in my career, and now playing in the World Series, you start thinking about the past and you just want to enjoy it.”
Wright was drafted in 2001 by the Mets with a compensatory draft pick gained when Mike Hampton left New York for the Rockies.
Wright made his debut three years later. He watched the Mets lose the 2006 NLCS by one run from the dugout. He endured regular season collapses in 2007 and 2008. He saw Shea Stadium demolished in 2008, Citi Field open the next season. He watched two managers get fired, and an entirely new front office take over. He had to answer countless questions about finances, spending and the overall direction of the franchise.
In late 2012, coming off a terrific personal season, but one with just 74 wins, he could have left the Mets for a new opportunity. Instead, he signed an eight-year extension to stay in New York.
He then battled more losses, injuries, and returned this past summer from lumbar spinal stenosis, which put his career in jeopardy, to find his team battling for a postseason spot. They ended up winning the division and, finally, tonight, 15 years later, he’ll be the team’s starting third baseman in the World Series.
“On a personal note, I wanted to finish what I started and I wanted to be around for times like this,” Wright told reporters Monday, after which he said the Mets are like a second family to him.
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