Matt Harvey retired today, an announcement accompanied in the mind’s ear by wailing saxophones rather than blaring trumpets. For when it comes to Harvey, the memories will not be of what was, but of what might have been.
Harvey burst onto the Mets’ scene in 2012, a first-round draft choice called up in mid-season to fit into a rotation beset by injuries. Much hoopla accompanied the call-up, and Harvey did not disappoint. He struck out 11 in his debut and worked his way into the record books by becoming the first player in modern baseball history to strike 10 or more batters and get two hits in his major league debut. His season, which had its ups and downs, ended prematurely because of a team-imposed innings limit.
Harvey hit his stride in 2013, going deep into games without allowing a hit (once while pitching with a severe nosebleed). Not since Dwight Gooden’s early years had a Met pitcher’s starts been such must-see-tv. And he did it with swagger, both on and off the field. He was a regular at New York Rangers games. He showed up at clubs. It is with good reason that a Sports Illustrated cover dubbed him, “the Dark Knight of Gotham.” The moniker stuck.
In August of that year, however, Harvey was diagnosed with partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. He would undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2014 season. He came back in 2015, and pitched well enough to reignite hopes of a Hall of Fame career, displaying the toughness New Yorkers appreciate when he threw caution to the wind, defying agent Scott Boras’ push to end his season on an innings limit and pitching the Mets into the World Series. Mets fans will especially remember his gritty insistence that he be allowed to pitch into the ninth inning of a game the Mets would eventually lose in extra innings to end the series.
He was never the same after that as injuries took over, starting with thoracic outlet syndrome in 2016. And as his on-field performance waned, so did the Mets’ patience with his off-field activities. In 2017, the team suspended him for violating team rules when he did not show up for a game; they suspected he had been out partying.
Early in the 2018, the team finally gave up on any hopes of a resurrected career. His performance dictated a demotion to the minors. He refused; the Mets designated him for assignment, and eventually traded him to the Reds for catcher Devin Mesoraco and cash considerations. He would bounce around after that – to the Angels, the A’s minor league system, the Royals and the Orioles. He pitched against the Mets on May 12, 2021, at Citi Field, lasting only into the fifth and giving up seven runs, leaving to a standing ovation from his former fans.
It was even more downhill after that: a season-ending knee ailment, a release by the Orioles before signing a 2022 minor league contract with them, a 60-day suspension as a result of his testimony about participating in distribution of a prohibited substance related to the 2019 overdose death of Angels teammate Tyler Skaggs. This year, a stint pitching for Italy in the World Baseball Classic failed to ignite interest from major league organizations. His stat line: a 50-66 won-lost record and a 4.42 ERA,
“Believe me, I wish I could have done more,” he tweeted in announcing his retirement, adding a special thanks to New York fans.
So how do we sum up his career? Harvey’s place in the pantheon of New York sports will not be in the local sports hall of fame, but rather in the adjacent wing with so many other shooting stars such as the Knicks’ Jeremy Lin and the Jets’ Mike White, who teased with bursts of greatness but didn’t stick around long enough to be considered truly great.
Matt Harvey was working out on Long Island this Winter with thoughts of making a comeback, instead he announced his retirement today.
Photo : Mark Rosenman