One row of chairs held his most cherished former teammates, from Daniel Murphy to Michael Cuddyer to Joe McEwing. His old managers Terry Collins and Willie Randolph sat nearby. Scores of Mets employees and media members were scattered around the room, many familiar to Wright from his playing days.
Behind them, José Reyes caused a stir cracking jokes in his burgundy tuxedo and matching fedora.
“It almost feels like that feeling you get when you come home from a long trip,” Wright said. “You’ve been away, and you get the chance to come home.”
Before the Mets drafted him in 2001, Wright had never been to New York, had never met any of those faces. He eventually made the city into his home, embracing the boroughs and — more accurately — the people within them.
Along the way, Wright became the most accomplished position player in franchise history, which is how he found himself returning to Queens on Saturday as the guest of honor, seven years after his final game.