Mets to retire David Wright's No. 5 at Citi Field this season

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.

Wright will also be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.

"David Wright personified class on and off the field," said Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen in a statement. "David is the definition of a Met. He grew up going to Mets Triple-A games in his hometown of Norfolk, VA and was drafted by the organization in 2001. His spectacular career included seven All-Star appearances, two Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger awards before he played an emotional final game in 2018.

"For a generation of Mets fans, he was their Tom Seaver, so it is a fitting tribute that only David and Tom have gone into the Mets Hall of Fame and had their number retired on the same day. He continues to contribute to the organization today serving as an ambassador. Congratulations on this tremendous honor, David."

Said Wright in a statement:

"Excited, humbled, honored are just some of the words to describe the thought of this summer’s Mets Hall of Fame induction and seeing #5 up at Citi Field next to some of the best players to ever play the game. A big thank you to Steve and Alex Cohen and the entire Mets organization for this surreal honor.

"I can’t quite put into words the appreciation I have for the city of New York and Mets fans. For 15 years I felt like I had 40,000 friends and family members in the stands each night. It was an honor of a lifetime taking the field as your Captain and I truly feel like this honor is just as much yours as it is mine. Thank you for the continued support and I can’t wait to see you on July 19!”

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.