The Mets will retire David Wright‘s No. 5 next July 19 at Citi Field ahead of the 4:10 p.m. game against the Cincinnati Reds, as first reported by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Wright will also be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.
A homegrown Met who spent his entire career wearing orange and blue and was the team’s captain from 2013 until his retirement, Wright starred in Queens from 2004 to 2018, and was on a National Baseball Hall of Fame track before injuries — including spinal stenosis — began to seriously impact him.
Wright was a seven-time All-Star, finished top 10 in MVP voting three times, won a pair of Gold Gloves, and was instrumental in the Mets’ run to the NLCS in 2006 and the World Series in 2015 — when his first-inning home run in Game 3 against the Royals at Citi Field electrified the crowd.
From his debut in July of 2004 through 2013, Wright was one of the best players in baseball.
In 1,374 games during that span, he slashed .301/.382/.506 (.888 OPS) with 222 home runs, 345 doubles, 876 RBI, 853 runs scored, and 183 stolen bases.
But injuries first began to seriously hamper him in 2014, and he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 2015 — a painful condition that limited him to just 77 games over the final four years of his career.
Wright did not play at all in 2017, but fought to return for two games at the conclusion of the 2018 season, when he made three plate appearances and was showered with love by a capacity crowd in his final game on Sept. 29.
He finished his career with .296/.376/.491 triple slash to go along with 242 home runs, 390 doubles, 970 RBI, 949 runs scored, and 196 stolen bases.
Wright will become the eighth Met to have his number retired, joining Tom Seaver (No. 41), Mike Piazza (No. 31), Jerry Koosman (No. 36), Keith Hernandez (No. 17), Willie Mays (No. 24), Dwight Gooden (No. 16), and Darryl Strawberry (No. 18).
Former managers Casey Stengel (No. 47) and Gil Hodges (No. 14) also have their numbers retired.
Additionally, No. 42 is retired for Jackie Robinson (as it is all across baseball).
The Mets also have honored marks next to their retired numbers for Bill Shea (who was instrumental in bringing National League baseball back to New York after the departure of the Dodgers and Giants), and former broadcasters Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner.
