The game David Wright will never forget
David Wright celebrates his two-run homer in the first inning of World Series Game 3 against the Royals on Oct. 30, 2015, at Citi Field. Credit: AP / Peter Morgan
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Is there a game David Wright will never forget? The Mets’ captain thought about it, then realized he didn’t really have to think about it.
Wright picked Game 3 of the 2015 World Series, a 9-3 Mets victory over the Royals at Citi Field. Wright went 2-for-5 with a first-inning home run and four RBIs. His recollections:
“Game 3. Of course. The only game we won. My first at-bat, I hit a home run. That’s like every kid’s dream.
“I remember in the backyard growing up, my dad took fishnet and tied it between two trees and made a tee — poured concrete and put a pipe on it for a homemade tee. And you’re just in your backyard going, ‘It’s the World Series, here comes the pitch. Whack! Home run!’ You just visualize it and you dream about it and actually you get to go through that experience.
“Certainly for me, when I look back on it, when you’re kids, how many people get a chance to play in a World Series, much less hit a home run and win a World Series game? That’s pretty special.”
The Mets were down 2-0 in the series when they returned to New York for the first World Series game at Citi Field. Wright remembers the scene before Game 3:
“That was when I first got the back thing [injury]. The routine to get ready to play took like forever. So I got there early and went through the whole routine.
“Obviously, it was a different type of emotion — being at home, just walking around the city the day before and the morning of, everybody with their Mets gear and Mets flags waving outside the restaurants and bars and stuff, and all the words of encouragement from people walking by in the city, things like that.
“You cool off and it just kind of hits you that, ‘Hey, this is the World Series.’ We’re down 0-2, but just the excitement and thrill of walking around the city, driving to the ballpark that day, little things are the memories that I’ll always remember as far as just the little sights and smells and sounds and stuff like that.”
Wright hit a two-run homer off Yordano Ventura in the bottom of the first to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. It was a pretty surreal trip around the bases:
“That particular at-bat, the ball leaves the bat and everybody stands up and the place is going nuts. Those are the nice ones. It’s kind of like a fog. I can remember touching home plate.
“I had my family there: my brothers, my wife, my wife’s family. I glanced up at them. My brothers would probably be the first ones to tell you that giving me credit for anything is very difficult for them. So to see them cheering and stuff was really, really cool. Then when you get to the dugout, you’re high-fiving teammates and you look in the stands and you see the excitement.”
The rest of the game went the Mets’ way and Wright remembers the end:
“It wasn’t like that nail-biting finish. Just winning the game, the first World Series win for me, first World Series game at Citi Field, being part of that win. Those experiences are the things that will stick with me.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
