WASHINGTON -- Since the New York Mets came within a game of reaching the World Series in 2006, David Wright has lived through two collapses followed by six straight losing seasons. On Labor Day, Wright seemed to release some of that pent-up frustration.
As Wright crossed the plate on a double by Yoenis Cespedes to cap the scoring in a three-run seventh inning, the captain wildly pumped a fist as if he were spiking a football. Minutes earlier, Wright had produced a tiebreaking RBI single in what became an 8-5 win against the Washington Nationals on Monday afternoon.
The victory allowed the Mets to open a five-game division lead over the Nationals.
"You go through it in 2006 and 2007 and 2008, and you kind of believe that's going to be the standard," Wright said. "I don't think you truly appreciate it until you go through some of the years we've been through and understand how much more fun it is coming to the ballpark when you're playing these types of games as opposed to kind of just playing out the schedule. I think that's something maybe I took for granted those years that I don't take for granted anymore. I'm going to enjoy this."
After losing two of three games in Miami over the weekend, the Mets had arrived in Washington with their division lead whittled down by 2 1/2 games in a matter of four days to four games. The Amazin's answered with clarity in the division showdown against the Nationals even after a five-run fourth inning by Washington knocked out starter Jonathon Niese and put the Mets in a 5-3 hole.
"I've been talking about how resilient this team is," Wright said. "So it's nice to answer after a tough loss yesterday. From here on out, I think every game is going to be the biggest game of the year. So it's nice to win. We need to move on and look forward to tomorrow. We've got a pretty good shot to win this one [Tuesday] with an angry Matt Harvey on the hill."
Wright's on-field emotional display aside, he somewhat downplayed the magnitude of Monday's win. His manager, Terry Collins, was not as shy in portraying the importance.
"They don't panic," Collins said about his team. "They came out today in the biggest game, I think, of our entire season thus far, fell behind and then came back and held on. It was a great win."
Said Wright: "Throughout the last couple of years, that emotion hasn't quite been there. And then, on top of that, I miss four months. You're just thinking about what it's like when you get back and how much fun it's going to be. You miss that emotion and that passion. You make it back and you get a chance to play in a game like this, that's a lot of fun. That's what continues to drive me and pumps me up."
