Matt Harvey: The Rise & Fall of the Dark Knight (2012 - 2018)

Mathew Edward Harvey was born on March 27, 1989, in New London Connecticut & grew up in the seaport town of Mystic. The six-foot four right hander attended Fitch Senior high School in New Groton Connecticut.

Harvey was already a top pitcher in high school getting drafted by the Los Angeles Angels as a third-round pick in 2007. He chose not to sign & attended college.

He then attended to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a pitcher three years for the Tar Heels.

In college he went 27-7 (10th all time in the school's history) with & 263 strikes (9th in the school's history) & a 3.73 ERA. In summer during his college days of 2008 & 2009 he pitched in the Cape Cod League, mostly in relief. By 2010 he was the New York Mets first round draft pick, the seventh pick overall in the MLB first year player draft.

Minor Leagues: In 2011 Harvey pitched at A ball St. Lucie, going 8-2 with a 2.73 ERA. He won
two FSL Player of the week Awards & made the All Star team. 

He was soon promoted to AA Binghamton, where he was 5-3 with a 4.52 ERA, he struck out 64 batters in 59 innings pitched. He earned a save in the MLB Futures Game for the USA, at Chase Field in Phoenix.

By 2012 he was voted the Mets number one prospect & #34 overall by MLB.com. That year he got an invitation to his first Spring Training but did not make the club going North. He pitched at AAA Buffalo going 7-5 with a 3.69 ERA, making the International League All Star Squad.

At first the Mets did not want to push him into the big leagues too fast, he spent more time at AAA than most number one picks. But eventually when Johan Santana went down with injury & the rest of the staff was struggling, Manager Terry Collins & GM Sandy Alderson decided the time was right to bring Harvey up.

Mets Debut: Matt Harvey made his MLB debut wearing uniform #33 on July 26th at Arizona. He struck out the first batter he faced (Gerardo Parra) & totaled eleven K's in just 5.1 innings of work. He set a Mets franchise record for strike outs in a pitching debut. 

He allowed no runs in the Mets 3-1 win, earning his first career victory. At the plate he even got two hits, a double & a single going two for two. He became the first MLB pitcher since 1900 to have two hits & strike out ten or more batters in a pitching debut.

Quotes -Mets manager Terry Collins: “I haven't seen 98 out of a starting pitcher in quite some time. He's lived up to exactly what everybody's talked about.”

In his next start he struck out seven batters in six innings, allowing two earned runs, but he took the loss to Tim Lincecum & the Giants in San Francisco. 

He took two more losses in early August, then on August 16th, he beat the Cincinnati Reds, pitching into the 8th inning allowing just one run on four hits with eight strike outs.

After a no decision he evened his record to 3-3 on August 29th with a win at Philadelphia. He continue to pitch well in September, but the poor Mets offense didn't help out, as he suffered two losses & a no decision.

On September 19th he allowed one run on one hit in seven innings, striking out seven Phillies but the Mets lost the game 3-2 at Citi Field. He finished the year after that start as the team felt he had reached an innings limit. In 2012 Harvey was 3-5 with 70 strike outs & 26 walks in 59 innings posting a 2.73 ERA in ten games.

2013: Matt Harvey began the 2013 season with a lot of excitement surrounding him after a fantastic debut in 2012. 

 He started the second game of the Mets season, against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field. Harvey struck out the first two batters he faced & allowed the only hit of his day in the 4th inning to Everth Cabrera.

Harvey went on to strike out ten Padres over seven innings, allow no runs on the one hit while
walking two. The Mets came up big with eight runs, led by two run HRs from John Buck, Ike Davis & Lucas Duda.

His second start was in Philadelphia, a 7:05 start against Roy Halladay, in front of 35,000 fans at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets gave him support right away, as the hot John Buck blasted a three run HR in the 2nd inning & Lucas Duda had an RBI single in the 3rd. Harvey gave up a sac fly RBI to Ryan Howard, the only run he allowed on the day.

The Mets came back knocking out Halladay in the 5th, with four hits including a two run single from Ruben Tejada & an RBI single from David Wright. 

 Harvey rolled along striking out seven Phillies through seven innings, one earned run, three hits & a pair of walks.

On Saturday April 13th, Harvey took the mound on a cold afternoon in Minnesota in front of 29,000 brave Minneapolis fans. Harvey may have been at his finest up to this point in his career on this cold day, flirting with a no hitter into the 7th inning.

Harvey had allowed just two walks into the seventh inning, when Justin Morneau blasted a HR down the right field line breaking up the no hitter.

Harvey earned his third win of the year, leading the NL in wins, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out six. Through his first three games he has struck out 25 batters in 22 innings, posting a 0.82 ERA.

Harvey followed with his fourth straight win on April 19th, as he beat the Washington Nat's 7-1 to get to 4-0. He threw seven strong innings, striking out seven batters allowing one run on four hits, while keeping his ERA below one (0.93).  

By now the comparisons were already being made to the start of another great one-time Mets pitcher, Nolan Ryan. Harvey was also being compared with Mets Hall of Famer Tom Seaver & Cy Young Winner; Dwight Gooden.

On May 7th, Harvey, Matt Harvey took a no hitter into the 7th inning, when the Chicago White Sox; Alex Rios reached on an infield single to short. Harvey was outstanding, striking out a season high (up t that point) 12 batters, going nine innings allowing no runs, no walks & the one hit. 

Once again the Mets bats did not support Harvey, an issue that would occur all season. The Mets did pull out the 1-0 win in the bottom of the 10th on a Mike Baxter RBI single.

In his next start, Harvey suffered another no decision in a 3-2 Mets loss to the first place NL Central; Pittsburgh Pirates. In seven innings he allowed two runs on five hits. In his next start he held down the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, to two runs going into the 8th inning.

He struck out six batters allowing five hits but also helped his own cause at the plate. In the top of the 7th, he singled off Edwin Jackson bringing in Rick Ankiel with what was the game winning run. He got his fifth win of the year going 5-0 with a 1.55 ERA.

On May 22nd, he got another no decision in a 7-4 Mets loss to the Reds, where he allowed four runs & struck out six in 6.1 innings of work. He still had an ERA under two at 1.93.

On May 28th he faced off against the AL New York club in his first subway series start. Harvey was spectacular, going eight innings, striking out ten batters for his fourth double digit strike out game. He allowed just one run on six hits & didn't walk anyone, while lowering his ERA under two, at 1.85. 

Now all of New York & more of the baseball world took notice at the new Mets start pitcher.  He earned no decision in the Mets win as the Mets scored two runs off Mariano Rivera with a Daniel Murphy double, a David Wright game tying hit & a Lucas Duda walk off base hit.

In June he began with those pesky Marlins in Miami who gave him some trouble. Over five innings they scattered ten hits, scoring four runs & giving Harvey a 5th inning exit. He earned no decision in the Mets 11-6 loss.

Matt Harvey & then Girlfriend
SI Swimsuit Model- Ann Vyalitsyna

His next start came at Citi Field, where he faced off against Jose Fernandez. Harvey allowed just one run on six hits in seven innings of work, striking out six Marlins. The Mets only managed one run off Fernandez as well & then the bull pens came on, doing a fine job. The game went on for six hours & fifteen minutes before the Mets lost 2-1 in the 20th inning.

On June 13th Harvey went up against Adam Wainwright, the Mets nemesis from the 2006 NLCS. He was having a fine year himself & beat Harvey 2-1 earning his tenth win of the year (10-3).

On June 18th Harvey got the start in the first game of an exciting doubleheader for Mets fans. Not only was their star; Matt Harvey going but rookie Zack Wheeler was making his debut in his home state in the night cap. A John Buck HR led to a 4-3 Mets win, as Harvey went seven innings, striking out a season high 13 batters.

On June 23rd he earned his seventh win, it came at Philadelphia in an 8-0 Mets romp over the Phillies. Harvey went six innings, allowing no runs on just two hits with six strike outs. His next start came at home against the Washington Nat's who were struggling. 

The Mets gave him no support, as they lost 6-4 with Harvey earning no decision. In the game he went seven innings allowing just one run on three hits while striking out eleven. It was his 5th double digit strike out game.

On July 3rd Harvey took a loss to the Arizona D-backs at Citi Field, allowing the most earned runs in any game he pitched all season, with five. He did strike out nine batters but also allowed nine hits in six innings. It was his second loss of the year (7-2).

On Monday July 8th, Harvey would start another Mets extra inning game. This one they would win 4-3 in 16 innings after five & a half hours of play in San Francisco. Anthony Recker reached on an error allowing Eric Young Jr. to score in the top of the 16th.

2013 All Star Game at Citi Field:  From there it was onto the All-Star Game, as Matt Harvey got the start for the National League at Citi Field in New York. It was a glorious day for Mets fans, as Harvey was announced & later taking the mound. 

This same night, the greatest Met of All Time; Tom Seaver tossed out a ceremonial first pitch to another Mets starting All Star legend; David Wright.

Harvey was shaky at first, allowing a leadoff double to New Jersey born Mike Trout & hitting Robinson Cano with a pitch.  He then got 2012 Triple Crown Winner Miquel Cabrera to strike out.  Baltimore's HR leader Chris Davis flew out & Juan Bautista also went down swinging.

The Citi Field crowd gave him a standing ovation. Harvey came out in the second inning and retired all three batters in a row; David Ortiz, Ada Jones (strike out) & Joey Mauer. Harvey's All Star line was two innings, no runs, one hit & two strike outs with one hit by pitch.

It was back to regular season business on July 21st, as Matt Harvey faced off against Cliff Lee & the Phillies at Citi Field. This night the Mets supported Harvey with 1st inning HRs by David Wright & Marlon Byrd. 

It was 5-0 when Harvey exited after seven innings of three hit shut out ball. He notched his sixth double digit strikeout game as well with ten., while besting his record to 8-2.

After the All-Star Game: On July 26th, Harvey pitched another outstanding game, allowing just one run & five hits in eight innings of work in Washington D.C. The Mets ended up being held down to one run by Ross Ohlendorf through seven innings. 

In the bottom of the 9th, Ryan Zimmerman blasted a walk off HR off Latroy Hawkins, filling in for the injured Bobby Parnell.

On August 1st, the Marlins handed him his third loss, two coming from them alone. It was a 3-0 shut out from Tom Kohler (six innings) A.J. Ramos (two innings) & Steve Cishek (one inning).

On August 7th, Matt Harvey had another one of his finest days of his young career. He pitched his first complete game, a four-hit shut out at Citi Field, over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out six & walked nobody in the 5-0 win, which turned out to probably be his last win of the season.

By mid-August, we can now see where Harvey began to struggle, possibly due to the trouble in his

elbow. He said he felt a bit of discomfort there as any pitcher has felt at points during a season. 

On August 13th, in Los Angles he allowed four runs & eight hits to an incredibly hot Dodgers team that beat New York 4-2, behind the pitching of Hyun-jin Ryu.

His next start was in San Diego, he had decent outing but allowed two runs on six hits which was not enough, since the Mets supplied little offense again. The bullpen also faltered, as Will Venable hit a walk off HR off Pedro Feliciano.

On August 24th, it was the first time in MLB history that the two starting pitchers of that years All Star Game went head-to-head in the same season. NL's Matt Harvey went up against the AL's Matt Scherzer. The elbow was most likely an issue, as Harvey allowed just two runs, but a career thirteen hits to the Detroit Tigers. He was the losing pitcher in Scherzer's 3-0 FOX Game of the week telecast.

It turned out to be Harvey's last start of 2013, as it was discovered he has a slight tear in his UCL in his pitching elbow.

Harvey was leading the league in strike outs with 191 when he went down for the season. He went 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA (third in the NL) while allowing the fewest HRs per nine innings (0.353).

He had one complete game, pitching in 178 innings in 26 starts & walked just 31 batters. He averaged 9.6 strike outs per nine innings (3rd in the NL). He averaged 1.5 walks per nine innings (4th best) & he was second in the NL with 0.931 walks & hits per nine innings.

At first Harvey said he would not get surgery & opted for rehab.

Tommy John Surgery: Then on October 4th, he said he would have Tommy John surgery to repair his right elbow & would miss the entire 2014 season. 

It was a devastating blow to Mets fans who were hoping it would be Harvey that would change the organization around like Seaver & Gooden did in the past.

That would now have to wait one more season. On October 22, 2013 Harvey had the successful surgery done by Dr. James Andrews. By Spring 2014 he was told he could toss a ball around but would still miss 2014.

Quotes-Harvey at Spring Training 2014: "Dr. Altchek said everything was fine and basically that I can start throwing. That was obviously good news for me. Since it is four months out, the process is going to be slow. I have to not push things. 

He just wanted to make sure I knew that, and I was clear with that. Obviously, we're not going to push things early. But, for me, being able to wear my glove and pick up a ball again is a good sign."

Harvey did not pitch in 2014 as the organization felt it was better for him to wait, so he'd be stronger by Spring 2015. At the last week of February during Spring Training 2015, Harvey threw for the first time to live batters. He threw 40 pitchers to live batters but they did not swing. 

Quotes: Matt Harvey- It was awesome, Obviously throwing a bullpen on the '10-pack' with nine other guys is a different feeling than facing basically our 'Core Four,' or whatever you call it. You step in the box and you have David in there, it's a good feeling to have that and be back. I couldn't feel better. It was a good day. 

The biggest thing today is getting used to having somebody in there and getting that feel of somebody standing in the box. Obviously, them not swinging, you don't quite get all the feel of what you need to work on or exactly what is working at the time and what isn't."

Trivia: In 2013 Harvey posed nude for ESPN's fifth annual body issue. 

Harvey was dating Russian swimsuit mode Anne Vyalitsyna, but the two split up in Feb. 2014. They had been seen around New York City at various events (as well as in Russia) quite often during their time together. Harvey was seen around New York with model Shannon Rusbuldt last summer as well.

Harvey earned the nickname: "The Dark Knight of Gotham" as well as "the Real Deal".

2015 Mets NL Pennant Season: As the 2015 season began there was a lot of expectations on the Mets & pressure to perform. The excitement of the return of the "the Dark Knight" Matt Harvey was just as big. Manager Terry Collins said getting Harvey back in the rotation, was like signing a top free agent. 2015 marked the regular season return of Matt Harvey from Tommy John surgery.

April: Matt Harvey made his much-anticipated return on April 9th, the third game of the 2015 Mets season in Washington DC. Harvey was outstanding striking out nine Nats allowing just four hits & no runs over six innings of work, before Terry Collins pulled the plug on him. 

Harvey earned his first win & his season looked bright, exciting Mets fans.

On April 14th he made his first home start in front of 39,89 at Citi Field against Philadelphia. He allowed three runs over six innings, but The Mets gave him run support with a Daniel Murphy HR, a Lucas Duda bases loaded double & Matt Harvey with his own RBI base hit led to a 6-5 Met win.

After a win over the Marlins, he closed out April with an exciting subway series win in the Bronx. Harvey pitched 8.2 innings on the Saturday afternoon broadcast, as all of New York was caught up in this one bringing some life back to the played-out subway series rivalry.

The Mets won 8-2 as Harvey struck out seven allowing five hits, ending his first month back from surgery at 4-0 with 3.04 ERA & 31 strike outs. The win came after the previous nights loss which had snapped an 11 game win streak. Harvey showed that he was still the guy who made a difference.

May: In another big start coming early in May, he went up against the Mets NL Eastern rivals the Washington Nats at Citi Field. Harvey was great shutting them out for seven innings on his way to a 4-0 combined Mets shut out. The Mets were riding high in first place as  the Nats fell six back.

The rest of May wasn't as king for Harvey he earned two losses, including a horrible outing at Pittsburgh where he gave up seven runs over four innings as the Mets took a weekend sweep. He did pitch two fine outing where he went to the 7th inning or later but earned no decisions despite shutting out both the Cards & Cubs in those games.

He closed out the month with a season high 11 strike outs in a 4-3 loss the Miami Marlins at Citi Field.

June: In June, he had a fine outing on June 16th, where he shut out the mighty Blue Jays line up at Skydome in Toronto. In that game he allowed just four hits in seven innings. It was the last game the Mets won before going on a seven-game losing streak & falling out of first place. His next start would be a loss at Atlanta in that mess.

July: He closed out the first half of the season with a victory over the d-backs at Citi Field. In that game he also hit his only HR of the season, a two run shot helping his cause. At the All Star break he was 8-6 with a 3.07 ERA, certainly establishing himself that Matt Harvey was back.

In Harvey's first start of the second half, he lost at Washington to Gio Gonzalez as he gave up five runs just two of them earned. Harvey drove in the only two Mets runs of the game as well. At that point the Mets fell three games behind the Nats.

His next start was a win against the Dodgers in a NLDS preview, where the Mets supported him with 15 runs. In this game Harvey drove in two more runs, now giving him a stretch of three straight games where he had driven in a pair of runs each time. His record now was at 9-7.

On July 31st was the day or you could say that week where the Mets whole season turned around. The Nets had recently brought up young Michael Conforto, acquired Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe, Addison Reed & Tyler Clippard, as well as Sandy Alderson making the Mets biggest deal in years, landing Yoenis Cespedes. With Noah Syndergaard & Steven Matz also in this outstanding young rotation, the Mets were a force to be reckoned with.

August: On August 5th Harvey threw seven shut out innings in Miami, as he won his tenth game of the season (10-7). This came in the midst of a Mets seven game win streak, a stretch of 11 out of 13.

On August 11th, Harvey threw eight more shut out innings at Citi Field in a 4-0 Mets win over the Colorado Rockies. The Mets regained first place and never looked back, the swept the Nats in a critical series & kept winning as the Nat kept finding ways to loose.

Harvey closed out August with two no decisions although in those games he allowed just one run in twelve innings combined. 

In five starts dating from July 31st to September, the same point where the Mets season turned around, Harvey allowed just two earned runs in 34.2 innings pitched, with 33 strike outs & just two walks.

September: On September 2nd he beat the Phillies, while striking out nine batters at Citi Field earning his 12th win. In that game he allowed four earned runs, the most runs he allowed since June 10th. The nine strike outs marked the seventh time he would have nine or more Ks in a game in 2015. He would make it ten at seasons end.

There was talk a few times about six man rotations, which happened on & off. There was the concern for innings thrown be these young starters, some were in the minor leagues at the start of the year & of course for Harvey who was coming off his surgery. Mets management dis a fine job at handling all these concerns.

Drama: But at the start of September with the Mets fighting to stay in first place & make the post season, Harvey's agent Scott Boras started belly aching about a 180 innings limit for Harvey. Harvey should have kept quiet but stated he thought Dr. James Andrews also told him about the limit. Later Andrews said he never stated that innings limit.

Quotes- Matt Harvey: "I never want to put the ball down. Obviously, I hired Scott as my agent and went with Dr. Andrews as my surgeon because I trusted them to keep my career going and keep me healthy. As far as being out there and being with my teammates and playing, I'm never going to want to stop.

But as far as the surgeon and the agent having my back and looking out for the best of my career, they're obviously speaking their minds."

The feedback was negative & for the first time in his career, the fans, the media & all of New York was mad at Matt Harvey. His manager tried to stick up for him, GM Sandy Alderson said the plan was 185 innings plus the playoffs. 

The team said the issue would be looked at & addressed. Harvey back tracked his words & said he wanted to pitch.

His next start after all the controversy wasn't that good, he was beat up for seven runs on eight hits, in just 5.1 innings. He did not get a decision in the Mets 8-7 loss. It would be 12 days before a rested Harvey would pitch again.

This start came on a Sunday night subway series ESPN televised game. With all the talk about pitching limitations Harvey shut out  the AL New York team for five innings, he struck out seven & allowed just one hit in an electrifying performance.

Then he was removed from the game by Terry Collins, Harvey wasn't happy but complied with Collins & pitching coach Dan Warthen's wishes. The Mets went on to loose the game, now all the critics were yelling "why was he taken out of the game, should have kept him in". The drama continued.

Mets Clinch NL East: On September 26th the whole drama of Harvey's past month was kind of put to rest, that's what winning does. That day in Cincinnati, Harvey got the ball to go out & clinch the NL Eastern Division title. 

That he & the Mets did, he gave up just two runs, while scattering nine hits in 6.2 innings of work. But it was enough for the Mets as they supported him with ten runs, highlighted by a Lucas Duda1st inning grand slam & HRs by Curtis Granderson & David Wright.

The Mets clinched their first divisional title since 2006, the fans who deserved it more than any one were ecstatic. The Mets organization was also thrilled, the players, coaches & manager as well.

Matt Harvey now wanted the ball in the post season, pitch & innings counts meant nothing. He closed out the season matching his season high 11 strike outs in 2-0 loss (where he earned no decision) to Washington, who were now ending the season seven games behind New York.

2015 Stats: As for Matt Harvey his regular season totals in 2015 were a 2.71 ERA (6th best in the NL), to go with a record of 13-8 (.619 winning %) with 188 strike outs in 189 innings pitched. 

He allowed 37 walks, 18 HRs, 156 hits & 57 earned runs. His walks & hits per nine innings (1.019) & his walks per nine innings ratio (1.759) were seventh best in the NL.

At the plate he batted .108 with seven hits, one HR. two doubles & 7 RBIs.

For his fine season & remarkable recovery from the surgery Matt Harvey was awarded the 2015 NL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

2015 Post Season- NLDS: With the Mets & Los Angeles Dodgers tied at one game each in the NLDS, Mets Terry Collins sent Matt Harvey to the mound against the Dodgers Brett Anderson in Game #3.

Harvey had been saved for the third start for three reasons, one because Jacob deGrom deserved the nod over him. Harvey also needed to cut down on innings & it was the first home post season game for the Mets.

Harvey was not usual overpowering self; in a shaky 2nd inning he gave up three runs on four straight hits. Yasmani Grandal came through clearing the bases. 

But the Mets answered right back.

In the bottom of the 2nd, they collected three base hits, with Travis d'Arnaud bringing in Yoenis Cespedes with the first run. Then Curtis Granderson delivered a bases clearing double putting New York ahead 4-3.

In the home 3rd, d'Arnaud hit a long HR putting the Mets up 6-3.
In the 4th Daniel Murphy had an RBI single & Yoenis Cespedes launched a tremendous HR into the second deck in left field, putting the Mets up 10-3. Citi Field went wild.

Harvey pitched with heart, five innings, allowing three runs, on seven hits, with seven Ks & two walks. He was relieved by Bartolo Colon who to the delight of the Citi Faithful, struck out the side in his first  inning of work.

The Mets added three more runs in the 7th inning. 

After JP Howell through a high tight one to Curtis Granderson, he answered with a two-run making it 13-4 Mets, setting a Mets record for most runs in a post season game.

In the 9th, Eric Goddel couldn't put it away allowing a three run HR to Howie Kendrick, Jeurys Familia had to come on & close it out. Mets took two games to one lead with the 13-7 win. The twenty runs scored is an NLDS record.

2015 NLCS: A crowd of 44,287 came out to a chilly 45-degree night at Citi Field for Game #1 of the NLCS against the Cubs. Terry Collins sent "the Dark Knight" Matt Harvey to the mound, in the biggest game of his young career. facing veteran Jon Lester.

Harvey proved he was a big game pitcher & cleared up any animosity Mets fans had against him.

In the 1st inning, he got the Citi Field crowd psyched up by striking out the first two Cub batters. He ended the 2nd inning, striking out Jay Soler looking. 

In the 3rd, after a lead off ground out, he struck out David Ross swinging & Jon Lester looking. In the 4th inning, he got his sixth strike out whiffing Kris Bryant. In the 5th he hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch & gave up a double to Starlin Castro. A single & a walk would follow but Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes threw a bullet nailing Castro at home plate trying to run on him. Harvey ended the inning striking out Jon Lester again.

 
The Cubs went down quietly in the 6th as Harvey kept them under the Dark Knights control. In the 7th he was still strong, although he gave up a single & issued a walk, he closed out the inning with two more strike outs. With two outs in the 8th, Terry Collins took the ball from Matt Harvey after he had served up a HR to Kyle Schwarber.

It was his longest outing since August, he went into the 8th inning, pitching 7.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He walked just two & struck out nine. He earned his second post season win to go 2-0.

He took a line drive off his shoulder, picked it up & threw out the base runner as well. At the plate he even had a rare successful sacrifice bunt, quite a night for the Dark Knight. Matt Harvey was 23-1 up to that point, when the Mets scored four runs or more.

For the Mets, Daniel Murphy blasted a solo 1st inning HR becoming the first Met, since Donn Clendenon in 1969 to hit HRs in three straight post season games.

The Mets put up a run in each of the 5th-6th & 7th innings with two RBI's single from Curtis Granderson on a base hit & sac fly, as well as a Travis d'Arnaud HR . The Mets won Game One, 4-2, to take a one game series lead.

2015 World Series: The NL Champion Mets, went to Kansas City to face Ned Yost's AL Champion Royals.

In Game #1 Terry Collins gave the ball to Matt Harvey who was 2-0 in the post season with a 2.84 ERA. He went up against Edinson Volquez.

On the first pitch Alcides Escobar drilled a shot to left centerfield. Either Yoenis Cespedes didn't see it or just misjudged horribly, the ball dropped between him & Michael Conforto. The speedy Escobar rounded the bases for the first inside the park HR since the very first batter of the very first World Series in 1903. 

In the 4th inning, Daniel Murphy singled to center, setting a franchise record with his 17th post season hit. Travis d'Arnaud drove him in with the Mets first run.

In the 5th inning Curtis Granderson lined a solo HR to right field, putting the Mets up 2-1. Later in right field Granderson made a fantastic catch saving the game up to that point in the game. In the top of the 6th a Michael Conforto sac fly made it 3-1 Mets. 

As for, Matt Harvey he had settled in nicely after the 1st inning, making a great adjustment throwing more off speed stuff since the Royals seem to be waiting on fastballs. 

In the 2nd, two Royals reached base but were retired. Over the next three innings he retired nine straight getting him to the 6th inning.

In the 6th he ran out of gas, Ben Zobrist jumped on a first pitch & doubled to right. Lorenzo Cain singled, but Zobrist was held up at third. Eric Hosmer then hit a sac fly scoring Zobrist making it a 3-2 game. With two outs, Mike Mostakas brought in the tying run with a base hit.

Harvey exited after six innings, giving up three runs, five hits, two walks & just two strike outs. 

The Mets bullpen did its job at first, Addison Reed pitched a perfect 7th inning. In the 8th, Juan Lagares hit a two out single & stole second base. Wilmer Flores then chopped a shot passed Eric Hosmer scoring Lagares putting the Mets up 4-3. 

In the 9th, Jeurys Familia gave up his first HR in three months. The Royals tied it & went on to win it on Hosmer's sac fly in the 14th inning.

2015 World Series: It was a do or die game for the Mets in Game #5.  The team had run out of gas, bad fielding & no hitting would lost them the world series. 

Terry Collins gave "the Dark Knight" Matt Harvey the ball to go up against the KC Royals.

Matt Harvey was outstanding through eight innings, putting in a valiant effort. He put the Mets on his back & said come on lets go, unfortunately they didn't give him enough support. Matt Harvey didn't allow a single until the 3rd inning then quickly erased that with a double play ball.

In the 4th, he got Citi Field fired up by striking out the side blowing away Cain, Hosmer & amp; Moustakas. In the 5th Harvey started out by striking out Salvador Perez. He then walked Alex Gordon but got the next two batters looking at third strikes. He would strike out nine Royals on the evening.

Harvey gave up singles in both the 6th & 7th innings but nothing came of them as he got ground ball outs to end the innings. He threw a strong 8th, where he retired the side in order, which earned him the chance at a complete game. 

In the dugout as pitching Mets coach Dan Warthen came over to him, Harvey said "there is no way I'm coming out of this game". Harvey then walked over to his manager & said the same thing.

Citi Field agreed as they continued their chants of "Harvey-Harvey-Harvey" all of America watching on TV agreed & eventually so did Terry Collins.

 Harvey came out for the 9th, but it was not to be. A leadoff walk & amp; a Eric Hosmer double made it 2-1. 

Terry Collins then came out to pull Harvey, the Dark Knight left to a Citi Field standing ovation. It was a valiant effort!

Quotes: Manager Terry Collins:  "I let my heart get in the way of my gut".

Curtis Granderson led off the 1st inning with a HR & a Lucas Duda sac fly gave them their second run.

After Harvey exited The Royals struck again, without hitting the ball out of the infield. A grounder to Lucas Duda made it one out but the runner advanced to third.

Then came a bouncer to the left side of the infield. David Wright took, when maybe he should have let Wilmer Flores take it. Instead, he checked the runner threw to first & got the out but Hosmer, broke for home.

Lucas Duda's throw was nowhere near the plate & the Royals tied it. The game went to extra innings & in the 12th the Royals blew it open & went on to the World Series victory.

*Overall in the post season Matt Harvey pitched in four games. He was 2-0 with a 3.04 ERA. He struck out 27 batters & walked 8 in 26.2 innings of work. He allowed 21 hits, two HRs & nine earned runs overall.

After the Pennant: 2016 did not turn out to be what Harvey, the Mets or the fans expected. He started out taking the Opening Day loss at Kansas City to the World Champion Royals. He gave up four runs in 5.2 innings of work. 

He would then lose to the Phillies & Cleveland Indians falling to 0-3 with a 5.71 ERA. His velocity & command of pitches wasn't the same. Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said he felt Harvey was having a mechanical issue with his slider too.

On April 22nd he struck out five Braves in Atlanta giving up two runs on seven hits in five innings, earning his first win of the season. He won his next game as well, beating the Cincinnati Reds 5-2 at Citi Field. 

He then lost three of his next four starts, putting in a good performance on May 8th, in San Diego beating the Padres 4-3. That night he struck out a season high ten batters, allowing two earned runs in six innings.

On May 30th, he battled The White Sox Jose Quintana at Citi Field as the Mets won a 1-0 thriller. Neil Walker provided the Mets only run with a solo HR. Harvey allowed just two hits in seven innings, no runs striking out six.

June was filled with three losses & two no decisions. Harvey had allowed just one earned run in each of five starts & just two earned runs on June 23rd. But the Mets suffered losses in all but one of those games. 

On June 10th he struck out eight in Milwaukee allowing one run on two hits in six innings, a fine performance where he got no decision in the Mets 2-1 win. 

He would make one more start in July, giving up five runs to the Marlins in South Florida, before getting shut down for the season.

Season Ending Injury: Harvey suffered with shoulder pain & was then diagnosed with thoratic outlet syndrome. This is a compression of the nerves, arteries or veins from the lower neck to the armpit.

Quotes- Matt Harvey: "I'm disappointed in the way I pitched, and hope this cures me and we get back on track."

This was one of the many injuries the Mets would suffer in 2016, especially on the pitching staff where Harvey, Steven Matz & Jacob deGrom would all go down on the DL, with season ending issues.

Harvey finished up the 2016 season at 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA. He struck out 76 batters walking 25 in 92.2 innings of work. 

2017: In Spring Training 2017, he made his pitching debut after eight long months. He only showed a fast ball in the low nineties, showing that he is not at the normal Matt Harvey level yet.

In his next Spring start, Manager Terry Collins requested that the radar gun be removed as to not have Harvey see the velocity at which he was throwing. 

Overall he went 0-4 with a 5.89 ERA in five Spring games. But by his last start he reached 97 mph on the radar gun & pitched six solid innings allowing two runs.

Quotes- Matt Harvey: "That was a big step, probably the biggest so far of spring, and moving forward into the season. The numbers early in spring and still don't really explain how I feel about moving forward. I couldn't be happier where I am now and moving forward. I feel I'm ready for a good season."

Things began well for Harvey in 2017, he pitched in the Mets third game going into the 7th inning, earning his first win of the year, he gave up two runs (both HRs) on just three hits with no walks & four strike outs. 

On April 11th he beat the Phillies in Philadelphia, with plenty of Mets run support as they gave him 14 runs. He would strike out six in the 5.2 inning performance.

From there we would not get another win in seven more starts. From April 27th through three starts on May 12th, he allowed five or more runs each time, never getting through a sixth inning. 

To make things worse on May 7th he did not show up for the Mets game at Citi Field & was suspended for three games by the organization for violating team rules.

Rumor had it that Harvey was distraught after his 35 year old supermodel girlfriend, Adriana Lima was seen at a function with her former boyfriend, New England Patriots Julian Edelman.

Quotes- Terry Collins: “When he comes in tomorrow, we’ll have a discussion. He needs to address some guys. If he wants to do it in a group, which is the easiest, I always think, or if he wants to do it individually — whatever he’s most comfortable with, I’ll sign on for it. We need to get this behind us.”

Harvey held a press conference at Citi Field admitting he did not have a migraine as he previously reported. He was out late past curfew, partying on Friday night & then played golf on Saturday morning. “I’m extremely embarrassed,” Harvey said at one point. “It’s completely my fault,” he said at another. “I put myself in a bad place to be ready for showing up for a ballgame, and that is my responsibility. I take full blame for that.”

Back on the field Harvey had served up 11 HRs from the start of the season until win #3 on May 23rd. On May 28th he pitched what was probably the best game he'd have for the rest of the season. In Pittsburgh, he pitched six innings allowing just one run on six hits, striking out four earning his fourth win.

On June 2nd he made a start at Citi Field against the Pirates, they pummeled him for six runs on five hits & a no decision in a 12-7 Mets loss. On June 9th he pitched five shut out innings in Atlanta but was taken out of the game. 

On June 14th he made start against the Chicago Cubs giving up four runs in four innings. It was his last appearance for three months, as he needed surgery for a fracture on his scapula & he was placed on the DL.

Harvey did return in September, on September 2nd he faced the soon to be World Champion Houston Astros & gave up seven runs on eight hits in just two innings. His next start was better, he went five innings against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field giving up just two runs & earning his fifth & final win of the year.

He lost his next four games of the year & they weren't pretty. The worst was on September 18th in Miami where he gave up seven runs on twelve hits in just four innings.

The once superstar pitcher ended the year at 5-7 with a 6.70 ERA allowing 21 HRs. He struck out just 67 walking 47 in 92.2 innings in 19 games. 

2018: Harvey started out 2018 with five shutout innings, in the Mets fourth game of the year. He struck out five Phillies allowing just one hit in the 2-0 Mets win. 

In his next start he gave up four runs in five innings but earned his second win, as the Mets beat the Nat's in D.C. 6-5. In his next start he gave up another four earned runs, & then six earned in his next start. He earned the losses in both of those games getting him to 2-2 with an ERA of 6.00. 

Harvey was now placed in the Mets bullpen to try to regain some form from the past. He would make four relief appearances, the last was against the Braves at Citi Field, where he allowed five runs in two innings.

That weekend he was designated for assignment, the Mets weren't sure they'd find any takers willing to make a trade. But on May 8th, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for catcher Devin Mesoraco. The one-time face of the franchise was now gone. 

Mets Career Stats: In his Mets career Harvey was 34-37 with 612 strike outs (14th on Mets All Time list) in 639 innings, posting a 3.66 ERA with 175 walks in 109 games making 104 starts. He made an All-Star game start & won a pennant.

Post Mets Career: In the rest of the 2018 season at Cincinnati, Harvey was back as a starter, in 24 games he went 7-7 with a 4.50 ERA striking out 11 batters in 128 innings.

 During the off season he was granted free agency & signed on with the Los Angeles Angels for 2019. 

With the Angels he was 3-5 in just 12 appearances, posting a 7.09 ERA. He was granted free agency in November & signed with the Kansas City Royals for 2020. He went 0-3 with an 11.57 ERA in seven appearances & was granted free agency at the end of the season.

In 2020 he signed on with the Baltimore Orioles. That season in a return to New York, he beat the AL club holding them to a run on three hits in six innings of a 4-2 Orioles win. 

Return to Citi Field vs. the Mets: On May 12th he made his first start at Citi Field since leaving the Mets in 2018. It didn't go that well for him as the Mets put up seven runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings of work in a 7-1 Mets victory. As Harvey left the field the Citi Field fans gave him a standing ovation. 

Harvey said he was holding back tears & it was something he'll never forget. On June 9th he faced the Mets again at Camden Yards, they belted him for seven more runs on eight more hits in a 14-1 loss.

In early September his season ended early as he suffered a knee injury. On the year he was 6-14 with a 6.27 ERA. In the off season he signed a minor league deal with the Orioles.

More Drama: In May 2022 he was subpoenaed to court in the investigation in the death of Angels pitcher, Tyler Skaggs. 

Harvey admitted to providing his teammate Skaggs with Percocet pills. Skaggs had overdosed in June of 2019 not of Percocet but of alcohol, fentanyl & oxycodone. A former Angels employee Eric Kay was found guilty of issuing the drugs that killed Skaggs. 

Harvey also admitted he had used cocaine in the past, which probably helped contribute to his problems.

Career Stats: In his nine-year career Harvey was 50-66 with a 4.42 ERA He has 867 strike outs 274 walks in 966.1 innings pitched. He allowed 124 HRs in 180 games making 172 starts. At bat he hit .106 with a HR & 14 RBIs.