Wright takes over as Mets' franchise hits leader

It was about as ugly as a record-breaking hit can be.

David Wright did not become the New York Mets' all-time hits leader with a booming home run or even a line-drive single. Instead, Wright finally passed Ed Kranepool with his 1,419th hit on a bleeder down the third-base line, which Pittsburgh's Pedro Alvarez could not glove in a 6-0 Mets victory. Wright later added a clean single for his 1,420th career hit.

"It's remarkable," manager Terry Collins said. "It's a testament to what a really, really good player he is. It's a testament to his work ethic. Even last year, he's never satisfied. All he wants to do is get better."

With that, Wright passed Kranepool, whose record stood for 36 years largely on the strength of his longevity. Though the Mets have employed plenty of better hitters over the years than Kranepool, who retired with a .261 batting average, none of them stuck around long enough to make a run at his record.

Then along came Wright, a first-round draft pick who grew up rooting for the Mets, became an instant smash in New York and made good on his long-term potential. Should Wright sign another long-term contract with the Mets, he eventually will own almost every franchise record in the books.

That, however, will require the sort of mutual agreement that the Mets could not make last winter with Jose Reyes, their other face of the franchise.

For now, Wright will keep on hitting for the rest of this season, knowing he has at least one more year in New York barring a trade. The franchise hits record is now his to continue extending for as long as he remains a Met.