In 2000, the New York Mets had just watched left-handed pitcher Mike Hampton walk into free agency. The Mets were coming off a World Series loss to cross-town rivals, the New York Yankees. Even though they lost, Hampton had been a big piece in that World Series run, as he went 15-10 and pitched to a 3.14 ERA.

The following year was a tough one for the Metropolitans. They played to an 82-80 record and finished third in the National League East. However, not all was lost.

The Mets selected a young infielder from Norfolk, Virginia in the 2001 MLB Amateur Draft. That player? David Wright. The pick that was used to bring the Virginia native to Queens was the compensation pick the Mets were given due to Hampton’s departure into free agency.

The Mets organization, and the fans, had no idea how significant Wright would be in the future. He came up a few years later in late July of 2004—after playing three years in the minor leagues— and never looked back.

Wright sat down on Sept. 13 for the biggest press conference of his professional career. He, alongside interim Mets’ general manager John Ricco and part-owner Jeff Wilpon, addressed the media and fans to tell them that Sept. 29 will be the final game of Wright’s career.

Yes, the writing was on the wall and Wright’s retirement was inevitable after battling career-threatening injuries for years. But, seeing him break down into tears , while hearing those words, was one of the saddest moments in Mets history.

Wright’s presence single-handedly changed the Mets, as he and fellow infielder Jose Reyes headlined the shift from a middle- of- the- road team to a legitimate World Series contenders.

Fans would rejoice whenever Wright stepped into the box with his signature look:; a wristband and eye black. If I were to sit here and list all of the memorable, clutch moments that he had in his career, then we’d be here all day.

His walk- off -hit off Mariano Rivera, the bare-handed dive in San Diego, hitting the first home run by a Mets player in Citi Field, his home run in game three of the 2015 World Series and, of course, his team USA heroics. Not only was he the Mets’ captain, he was tabbed Captain America. That meant so much to us Mets fans.

Wright was the face of the fandom for so many young fans like me. He was my Tom Seaver. Whenever I think of the Mets, I think of Wright.

Sept. 29 will be a magical and memorable day for Mets fans because this will be the last day that we can celebrate with our longtime captain. We get at least nine more innings to share with the player who was the face of our franchise for so many years.

Wright will be walking off the field after that game as the Mets’ leader in numerous offensive categories. He holds the record for highest WAR for a position player (50.4), Offensive WAR (51.9), runs scored (949), hits (1,777), total bases (2,945), doubles (390), RBI (970) and he is second all- time scorer in career home runs for the Mets, behind Darryl Strawberry.

To Wright: thank you for all you did for us, and I’m sure the journey will continue in another capacity. One day we will look up and see the number five retired next to the other greats.