SAN FRANCISCO – The game’s on the line, so you run down the list of things you want.

You want experience up at the plate. You want a hitter who’s been there before. You want a proven commodity, someone whose resume alone can strike fear into an opposing pitcher.

Or you want David Wright.

It’s only been about a month, but the Mets’ rookie phenom is quickly carving himself quite an impressive clutch niche by racking up game-tying or game-winning hits. Not bad for a 21-year-old kid who began the year at Double-A.

“I love being in those kinds of situations,” Wright said. “I like being up with the game on the line. I feel good up there.”

Why shouldn’t he? Check out Wright’s list of clutch hits this month. On Aug. 1, he broke up a no-hitter by Atlanta’s Paul Byrd with a sixth-inning homer. On Aug. 10, his fourth-inning RBI single put the Mets ahead for good in a 7-3 win over Houston. On Aug. 11, his fourth-inning RBI single tied the game up before a massive rain delay in what became an extra-inning win for the Astros.

Then this past Thursday night, his two-run, ninth-inning homer against the Rockies snapped a 2-2 tie and gave the Mets a 4-2 win.

“A flair for it,” Art Howe said of Wright’s penchant for clutch hits.

It would be a head-turning stretch for any player to have a clutch month like this. But for a rookie who has every eye on him to come through this early and this often is more than just a little impressive.

Howe was asked if he had ever seen a young player have this kind of flair for the dramatic, and the former Houston skipper noted, “Jeff Bagwell was pretty good at it.”

Bagwell, of course, is potential Hall of Famer. He’s a great player, and delivering in the clutch is what great players do. As Vance Wilson said, “A guy that’s going to be a great player, they do things like [Wright’s homer].”

It’s pretty apparent that the Mets catcher sees similar greatness in Wright.

“I first saw him when I was rehabbing in Norfolk,” Wilson said. “He got beat on a pitch bad, and he still hit it out of the park. … Even when I came up here [to the Mets], I was telling guys it was pretty phenomenal to watch.”

Wilson believes Wright’s clutch ability comes from two places. “I think it’s not only baseball instincts,” Wilson said, “but the natural ability to put yourself in a good hitting position.”

Wright, though, says he’s always loved the big stage and the big moment his whole life – in any sport, any situation.

“I loved playing rec basketball and having the last shot,” Wright said. “I loved being up there with the game on the line. I like that kind of pressure. I really like being in that situation. It’s good to come through for the team.”

Wright has only played 26 games in the big leagues so far, so he still has plenty of adjustments to make. But you can see the evolution of a phenom taking place on a daily basis.

He responded to a shaky fielding debut – four errors in his first 14 games – by reeling off an 11-game errorless streak before a throwing miscue on Thursday. He went a combined 0-for-5 on Saturday and Sunday against Arizona, but followed that with a 6-for-14 jaunt in Colorado and has his average up to a season-high .284.

Of Thursday’s game-winning homer, Wright said, “It’s what you dream about.”

Right now there’s no need to wake him. The kid is learning. Just as important, the kid is clutch.