NY Mets third baseman David Wright will be honored by the team today with a jersey number retirement ceremony at Citi Field. The team will also induct Wright into the Mets Hall of Fame. There is a special game ball commissioned by the team to be used in the game tonight (July 19, 2025).
We’re not certain it’s being used in one game only, but that’s usually the case for these types of special events. We only have a rough Rawlings Sporting Goods mockup and a fan-contributed sneak peek:
It’s a simple mark, about as basic as a commemorative gamer could be. Those Mets’ pinstripes are a nice touch!
The most accomplished position player in Mets history, Wright hit 242 home runs, drove home 970 runs and compiled 49.2 Wins Above Replacement over a 14-year career in New York. He established a Hall of Fame arc in his 20s before succumbing to the back, neck and shoulder injuries that ultimately ended his career.
—Anthony DiComo & Bill Ladson, mlb.com
We’ll get a few for the Museum of Baseballs photo galleries, and one for my personal collection. Then we’ll update this post with Museum quality pictures. This ball will be available from Rawlings dealers within weeks. That means Rawlings Sporting Goods web shop and Rawlings Outlets will probably stock them too. So if you’re patient, you’ll be able to pick one up for a reasonable retail price soon enough. If you don’t want to wait, I’ll bet they hit eBay for $150+ in less than 12 hours.
UPDATE on retail availability (July 23): There are concerns this baseball is a team exclusive and not available for regular retail sales. I’m checking on that and will post here with an update ASAP. I can only say I’ve personally submitted a preorder with a dealer. That dealer ordered from Rawlings and planned to stock these weeks ago. So, hopefully they’re not canceled, otherwise I’ll also be scrambling and overpaying for one… or maybe I’ll skip this one out of spite.
Overall I like what they did with this. At first I got a little deja-vu, as I thought I had seen this before. Then I remembered the logo is very similar to both the Todd Helton and Larry Walker retirement commemoratives. This is an improvement because it has the player name, versus the other two did not. The problem with those logos in my opinion is that there are many teams with pinstripes and those teams also have players that wear number 17 and 33. Also, this logo has a subtle touch which is a great detail not to go unnoticed in that the Wright logo has a slight arch to resemble a uniform nameplate.
How do you know the ball will be available from rawlings dealers? They sold out at the stadium very quickly.
I preordered the Wright ball from a Rawlings dealer about a week ago – meaning I reserved one. The ball was available to order through their Rawlings rep, and that means it should be available to all dealers/Rawlings shops, so I ran with that info. I am double checking now though, to be 100% certain. I’ve seen the concerns and discussion about it being limited / sold out. It’s certainly possible they made a mistake or decided to keep it exclusive to the team, but hopefully they honor the preorder regardless. I’ll post here when I hear back, and I’ll post an update above in the article.
Are you sure this ball will be available through the rawlings shop?
No, I am not 100% on that. Please see my comment above and the updated info in the article. We’ll keep updating as we learn more.
In a weird kind of way I like the exclusivity on the collecting side, as several always seem to “slip” out to collectors. Unfortunately I know it comes with gouging on the resale side. However, it can be a nice change from the current situation in which the second hand market is flooded with season long team commemoratives that will still be available for purchase 20 years from now. I think the perfect solution would be for Rawlings to issue more exclusives in the future for the “one time events”, and offer a pre-buy through a dealer network in which you would pay a certain fee before the season starts and guaranteed a certain amount of exclusive issues (one from each event). This would bring rarity back into the hobby without having to pay a gouged price from a reseller.
Apologies for the late reply, Collin. I understand re: exclusivity. I really appreciate that many of the older commemorative game balls were limited. For example, the late ’90s and early 2000s baseballs. The 1999 Candlestick Final, Houston Astrodome Last Series, etc. It really adds to the allure and collectibility. And it makes the hunt and discovery that much more thrilling. If those type were mass produced, I bet they lose a little appeal at least. However it also makes the near misses and “overpaying” painful!
The presale model you describe sounds intriguing, like a subscription model. But do you think we’d lose a lot of the buzz and surprise factor that way? To be guaranteed the full season’s lineup of special event baseballs would end the endless research and anticipation. (OK I can see why that’s a good thing!) But I enjoy the not knowing and being surprised with unexpected game balls––even when it makes me look like a fool for not having the inside scoop.
any update
Yes, first, I personally ordered from Coach’s Collectibles in NY, who is said to have an exclusive deal with David Wright. They were NOT cheap! Not common retail pricing, but I didn’t want to wait. Still more affordable than the eBay. Next: I’m told at least one Rawlings Outlet Store cannot stock these. That’s the PA shop (Lancaster I believe). But on a positive note, one more dealer is expecting to receive them in August, and they usually have the best prices. That’s Anderson Enterprises KPT, who I’ve ordered many baseballs from and is dependable and great to work with.
We’ve also heard back from the Mets. They’re restocking too.