David Wright's 'best day ever' finally arrives as Mets reach World Series

Bob Nightengale | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption The New York Mets are going to the World Series The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 8-3 on Wednesday night to sweep the four game NLCS. Mets Second Baseman Daniel Murphy set a MLB record, hitting a home run in his sixth straight postseason game. (Oct 22)

CHICAGO - David Wright, his eyes blinking away tears, ran across the infield, found second baseman Daniel Murphy, and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him with all his might.

“The World Series!’’ Wright says. “The World Series! Are you kidding me?

“I can’t stop saying it. The World Series!’’

The New York Mets, mocked during spring training, and nothing more than a mediocre club through the final days of July, are going to the World Series.

The Mets swept the Chicago Cubs into next year, winning 8-3 on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, completing their domination of the National League Championship Series, never trailing a single inning in the four-game series.

“People kind of giggled at us and laughed at us,’’ said Wright, the Mets’ captain and longest-tenured player, “when we proclaimed we were going to be a playoff team. To be able to prove everybody wrong, feels really good

“Look at us now. The ’69 Miracle Mets. The ’86 You Gotta Believe Mets. The 2000 Mets.

“Now, to be mentioned in the same breath, we’re going to go down in history as one of the greatest Mets teams ever assembled, and I can’t be more proud of that.

“This is one of the best days ever for me.’’

Wright, his eyes reddened, and uniform soaked with champagne, symbolizes the Mets’ rise to greatness. He is the heart and soul of the team, signed and developed by the organization. In 2006, just his second full season with the Mets, he was in the hole in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the NLCS, when Carlos Beltran struck out with the bases loaded.

The St. Louis Cardinals were going to the World Series. The Mets were staying home.

The heartbreak still is vivid (“Adam Wainwright threw three of the nastiest pitches I’ve ever seen," he said) but at the time, believed in his heart the Mets would be back the following year. He figured he’d be just like Derek Jeter across town, playing in October every year.

Instead, the Mets blew September leads of seven games in 2007 and 3 1/2 games in 2008, followed by six consecutive losing seasons.

It wasn’t until two weeks ago that the Mets returned to the postseason again.

“Those were tough times,’’ Wright said. “So many people in my life have seen me come home year in and year out, down in the dumps because we missed the playoffs again.’’

Wright, who signed an eight-year, $138 million contract in 2012 after being convinced by GM Sandy Alderson that the future would turn, still couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever again be in the playoffs.

Considering he went down with a strained hamstring in April, and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis - a narrowing of the spinal column - in May, he wondered if he’d even play again.

He endured four months of grueling rehab, four months of loneliness away from the team, and four months of not knowing if the team would even be in the pennant race if he returned.

“There were times when you didn’t know what to expect,’’ Wright said, “but this is worth the wait. It makes it all worth it. The champagne tasted a lot sweeter having gone through everything this organization has been through.

“We’ve been through some bad times. We’ve been through September just playing out the schedule. And now to completely reverse that, and do a 180, and go to the World Series …

“I wish I could bottle up this feeling right now, I really do. This is an emotion I’ll never forget.’’

The Mets did their best to try to celebrate this glorious moment in the antiquated visiting clubhouse at Wrigley Field, but after a while, simply moved their celebration onto the field, spraying champagne with their families and friends, sharing the moment with several thousand Mets fans.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Dan Haren sat alone in the stands watching the celebration unfold, tears streaming from his eyes, with retirement plans on the horizon.

The tears on the field were of joy, with Mets manager Terry Collins wishing his dad were still alive to see this, passing away this spring. Yes, and Wednesday just so happened to be his parents’ wedding anniversary date.

“I’m standing there in in the dugout in the ninth inning,’’ Collins said, “and I’m looking around the field and looking down in the dugout. I’m thinking, “How did they do it? How did they keep it together? How did they stay focused?’ ’’

“There were some tremendous peaks and some big valleys.’’

The Mets were muddling along with a 49-48 record on July 24, and squandering their starting pitching with a lineup that was more suited to spring-training games in Port St. Lucie, Fla., but along came Yoenis Cespedes. Rookie outfielder Michael Conforto had only recently arrived. Murphy started getting hot. And Wright came back.

They won 41 of their last 65 games, ran away with the National League East, took down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series, and thoroughly dominated the Cubs, becoming only the sixth team in postseason history to never trail in a single inning.

“That was as good a pitching as you’re ever going to see for four consecutive games,’’ Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “They smothered us early, and they kind of dictated the action based on that."

The Mets’ pitching staff, with four starters 27 or younger, put on one of the greatest performances in postseason history, giving up just eight runs in the four games, and yielding a .164 batting average. The heart of their order: Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber batted just .190.

“Maybe our pitchers didn’t have the household names and the pedigree of some of these other teams,’’ Wright said, “but they’re household names now.

“In my mind, we have the best and the deepest starting staff in all of baseball.’’

And, of course, the best and hottest hitter in the universe too.

Murphy, one of Wright’s closest friends, turned the NLCS into his free-agent showcase, becoming the first player in history to homer in six consecutive postseason games. He won the NLCS MVP award, hitting .529 with four homers and six RBI during the series.

“I've not seen anything like this,’’ Maddon said, “I don't think, ever. I saw Bonds in the 2002 World Series where you did not want to throw a baseball to him as a pitcher. Right now it's just incredible. Line drive to left, homer to right or homer to center. He looks like he's going to hit the ball hard on every pitch.

“It's unusual to see a guy that locked in and that locked in at this particular moment. Again, credit to him. He was obviously a big part of their success, and you don't see that very often.’’

Wright says he doesn’t even try to come up with words to describe what he’s seeing out of Murphy. Just two weeks ago, the Mets had no plans to even give him a $15.8 million qualifying offer to retain him as a free agent. These days, Wright is willing to pass around the collection plate himself, trying to raise enough money to assure he stays.

“He hit 14 home runs, a career high this season,’’ Wright said, “and now homers six games in a row in the playoffs. That’s just stupid.

“That’s Jordan-esque."

Wright, of course, made his commitment three years ago, locking himself up with the Mets through 2020. It turned out to be the greatest decision he made in his career, he said, dreaming one day this moment would arrive.

“It was a combination of belief and faith,’’ Wright said. “Faith what Sandy was going to do. Faith what this organization was going to do. The starting pitchers were so hyped. I really believed this organization was going to turn it around, and I wanted to be a part of it.

“To be able to do this here, in New York, means the world to me.’’

Wright took time soak in the moment, he said, standing in the field at third base in the bottom of ninth. He couldn’t stop smiling. He looked at his teammates’ facial expressions. He looked around at the fans. And he kept looking until he found that familiar face.

It was teammate Michael Cuddyer, his boyhood friend from Virginia, who he personally recruited to join the Mets as a free agent last winter, vowing this moment was possible.

“To be able to share this with one of my childhood friends, and baseball peers,’’ Wright said, “is incredible.’’

Cuddyer, who also has never been to the World Series, found Wright in the clubhouse late after the game. He came over and hugged him. And yes, thanked him.

“To be able to share this with him, and play with him,’’ Cuddyer said, “means the world.

“We’re all pretty ecstatic in here, but for him, this means everything. We know what he means to this organization.

“I think we’ll remember this night forever.’’

GALLERY: Top postseason moments