Mets legend set for emotional 9/11 week

This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NEW YORK -- These days, David Wright doesn’t often venture far from Southern California. Wright is content with life after baseball as a full-time dad.

But there’s one thing that can reliably tear Wright away from home (and even his 3-year-old son’s first T-ball practice). Next week, Wright will travel across the country to visit a Manhattan firehouse in remembrance of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. Three days later, he’ll host the third annual Battle of the Badges baseball game at Citi Field, which pits members of the New York City Police and Fire Departments against each other to raise money for charity.

“I understood when I was 18 years old the significance of the moment of 9/11,” Wright said. “Although I wasn’t in the big leagues, I had just been drafted by the team, and I understood how impactful that day was around the world -- but especially for New Yorkers.”

Throughout his playing career, Wright annually visited different firehouses on or around Sept. 11, often joining teammates on those pilgrimages. It was a habit that veterans from the 2001 Mets -- including John Franco, Al Leiter, Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile -- ingrained into him from the time he came up as a rookie. Not that they needed to. The son of a vice and narcotics officer in the Norfolk, Va., police department, Wright grew up with a profound respect for servicemen and women.

“I enjoy going to the firehouses to hear the stories,” he said. “I enjoy going to the firehouses to meet the first responders. I enjoy going to celebrate the bravery and the tenacity that these men and women have, because the majority of us don’t have that.”

Often, Wright added, the visits include stories of a serviceman or woman who died rushing toward Ground Zero on the morning of Sept. 11.

“It’s an emotional day,” he said. “It’s an emotional visit.”

Similarly impactful for Wright, given his respect for civil servants, is the Battle of the Badges game. Set to host last year’s contest before rain postponed it, Wright decided to fly back across the country one week later to honor his commitment.

As host, Wright spends time in both the NYPD and FDNY dugouts, which he enjoys for multiple reasons. A notorious clubhouse trash talker during his own days as a player, Wright loves hearing the extent to which police officers and firemen jaw at each other during the game.

“I enjoy the baseball. I enjoy the banter. I enjoy the camaraderie,” Wright said. “But also, I enjoy being able to shake hands and say, ‘Thank you.’ As cheesy as that sounds, I enjoy thanking them, because I don’t think they get the appreciation that they deserve on a regular basis.”

Tickets for the Battle of the Badges game are $20 and available for purchase here. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the FDNY Foundation and NYCPBA Widows & Children's Fund, plus other organizations.