Kicking off Wright’s big weekend at Citi Field, where the captain’s No. 5 will be retired and he’ll be inducted into the Mets’ Hall of Fame, Collins spoke to reporters on Friday. There, he revealed why he named Wright captain ahead of the 2013 season.

"The first thing he said is, 'I just want to help.' "And I said, 'Well, you're going to help tonight because you're going to hit [fourth].' And what does he do? Hits a homer his first time up. And that personifies who he is.

Wright missed more than four months of the 2015 season, diagnosed with spinal stenosis, before he returned to the lineup in late August, with the Mets holding a healthy lead in the NL East. Collins recalled Wright telling him he didn’t expect to hit in the middle of the lineup when he came back or disturb the way they were performing.

For Brandon Nimmo, his first homestand in New York was even more surreal than he could have ever imagined, thanks to some thoughtful planning by David Wright and Curtis Granderson.

Former manager Terry Collins talks about David Wright's iconic career, his leadership as a Met and more ahead of his number retirement

T here are a few things that will give any manager a chance to own a franchise record for most ejections. One is longevity. You need enough seasons on the job. You need some bad t