There’s no crying in baseball?
That rule had to be suspended Saturday night at Citi Field. Unless you have a steelier resolve than The Post does.
David Wright didn’t necessarily get the ending he deserved here, for he deserved far better. Yet given the sad realities of his medical situation, this bittersweet farewell proved as sweet as possible.
“I can’t sit here and tell you that I’m good with where I’m at right now,” Wright said, after he closed his memorable career with a start at third base and two at-bats in a game the Mets ultimately won, 1-0, over the Marlins in 13 innings. “That would be a lie. That would be false. You love something so much and you want to continue that. I obviously got a little taste of that, and I’m already feeling that physically.
“It was a wonderful night. It was something that I will remember for the rest of my life. But I’m at peace with the work and the time and the effort and the dedication that I put into this. But I’m certainly not at peace with the end result. Tonight was special.”
Forgive his mind and his mouth for meandering a little bit. Wright had to wait about three hours from his departure until Austin Jackson’s walkoff double. The night proved an emotional roller coaster to match the physical roller coaster he had endured for the past two-plus years to get back on the field, even for this token appearance before he gets officially declared medically unfit to keep playing.
His last night, beautifully orchestrated by the Mets and passionately supported by a sellout crowd, left the Mets with zero bad images. If his spinal stenosis limited his range at third base to the point where he urged old pal Jose Reyes to get everything he could at shortstop, then the baseball gods allowed the one ball hit to him, a Bryan Holaday second-inning bouncer, to go right at him, and he sidearmed the successful assist. He gave himself an on-base percentage, as he noted, by working his last base on balls off Miami starting pitcher Trevor Richards, prevailing in a six-pitch count against Marlins hurler Trevor Richards.
Shoot, even when he fouled out in his last at-bat, leading off the fourth, the energy turned humorous, with the Mets faithful begging Miami first baseman Peter O’Brien to let the ball drop, then booing him when he opted to catch it. And booing the former Yankees prospect O’Brien in each subsequent at-bat, to boot.
The real heart-tugging fireworks, however, occurred before and after the action.
Goodness, that ceremonial first pitch, with Wright’s parents Elisa and Ron and wife Molly escorting the Wright girls Olivia and Madison onto the field, with the captain kneeling behind home plate, and 2-year-old Olivia unleashing her best effort. That it fell a few feet away from her and a few feet in front of her dad made it all the more precious.
Man, oh, man, having Wright take the field and step on third base alone, as his teammates waited respectfully for the moment to sink in before joining him for the top of the first.
And wow, that final retreat from third base in the top of the fifth, before Steven Matz threw his first pitch of the frame. As Mickey Callaway emerged from the Mets’ dugout to make the official substitution, with Amed Rosario arriving at shortstop and Reyes sliding over to the hot corner, third-base umpire Mike Winters shook Wright’s hand. Then Wright moved across the infield, alternating waves to the crowd with hugs of his teammates, and he greeted the line of teammates and coaches awaiting him. Even Yoenis Cespedes showed up!
Finally, the walk down the stairs into the clubhouse, a marvelous career officially capped.
“I held up good until I saw Mickey come out,” Wright said. “Certainly [it was] emotional for me, but at the same time one of the best, most loving experiences I think I’ve ever been a part of.”
And after the game mercifully ended, the Mets displayed a video tribute, followed by Wright retaking the field, holding a handheld microphone and speaking from his heart:
“This is love,” Wright told the fans. “You guys welcomed me with open arms as a 21-year-old kid. There were a lot of strikeouts, a lot of errors, but you had my back from day one. For that, I can’t say thank you enough.”
The feeling was mutual, the night equally unforgettable for the patrons as it was for Wright. This is why you suffer through so much nonsense, right? To share in such heartfelt joy and grief and everything else that comes with a remarkable night like this one.