Captains leaving their teams is always a tough sight, but the way that David Wright is apparently leaving the New York Mets is nothing short of devastating. Wright, who has been with the Mets since 2004 and has dealt with over two years of injuries and rehab, said on Thursday that he will play with the Mets for their final homestand this season. He also heavily hinted that he would be retiring at the end of the year.
Wright, who was named team captain in 2013, has been with the Mets through thick and thin -- for better or for worse. He was there when the Mets lost the World Series in 2015, and he was there when the Mets finished fourth in the NL East in four consecutive years from 2009 to 2012 -- not to mention the Mets' brutal collapses in 2007 and 2008.
With that in mind, Wright will forever be remembered as a key player in Mets history, and seeing him give his conference Thursday was rough.
The Captain speaks live about his timeline for the remainder of the season. #Mets #DavidWright https://t.co/hDVx3j07Mz
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 13, 2018
Mets players were watching as Wright addressed the media. The room didn't look any more at ease than you'd expect.
The Mets are watching as David Wright addresses the media pic.twitter.com/g1GJdpZuRT
— SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) September 13, 2018
Fans didn't take it well, but most of the comments were in appreciation what No. 5 has done for them over the course of his career.
Retire the number 5 nobody should ever wear it again.
— Mike (@Mike92D) September 13, 2018
I've only been a Mets fan; and a baseball fan, since 06. You've been the one constant since I started watching the sport for us and it's made you my favorite Met ever. I'll miss you Cap and thanks for everything.
— Ketchup-Spider🕸️ (@Ketch1791) September 13, 2018
WE LOVE YOU David! pic.twitter.com/n3JnUN2zAb
— BigMommasMuffin (@Mommas_Muffin) September 13, 2018
such a great leader for the organization
— Thuzio (@Thuzio) September 13, 2018
@Mets let’s get that number retired
— Tommy (@IHAUNTYOU) September 13, 2018
Thanks for everything D.Wright you’ll be remembered as one of the greatest Mets of all time. I’ll never forget the home run you hit against the Royals in the 2015 World Series and watching you play at Shea. 😢
— david solano (@dsolano1997) September 13, 2018
One thing is for certain: Sep. 29 and Sep. 30 just became must-buy tickets if you're a Mets fan. They'll close out the 2018 season against the Marlins, and more importantly, it appears that Wright will close out his career at 35 years old after 15 seasons.