While all of us keep looking up at the clock, waiting in excited anticipation for it to read one o’clock so we can tune into SNY to watch Matt Harvey climb on that mound and fire a four-seamer to Travis d’Arnaud at home plate, manager Terry Collins is keeping his fingers crossed and hoping his big righty doesn’t go full throttle.
“For me, it’s a spring training game. I know that it’s a story because he’s Matt Harvey, but I don’t want to see anything more than I would see in a normal spring training game.”
Harvey will face David Price and the Detroit Tigers at Tradition Field in his first game since Aug. 24, 2013. The Mets ace seems to know exactly what’s at stake and at the same time he’s not sweating it.
“I’m looking at it as getting ready for a season,” Harvey said Thursday. “I’m not really putting any extra pressure on that there isn’t anyway. I’m looking at it as getting work done and preparing for a season like nothing has ever happened.”
“I think I’m a little smarter now than when I was 22 and lighting up a radar gun,” Harvey said. “Everything is coming out good. Everything feels great. If there’s a time to throw my normal 0-2 fastball, then I’m feeling like I can let that go.”
Pitching coach Dan Warthen said the Mets have Harvey penciled in for 35 pitches over two innings and that he will not be permitted to throw more than 40 pitches. He thinks you can’t avoid the inevitable with Harvey in that he’s always going to give it his all.
“There’s no way you’re ever going to dial Matt down, said Warthen. “It’s competition. He’s going to do everything he can to get that person out. So he’s not going to dial it down.”
I’m not the least bit concerned, you can’t restrain the tiger inside Matt Harvey. This is the moment he’s been waiting 18 months for. I’m gonna sit back and watch him do what he does best, pitch lights out baseball.
Mets Starting Lineup
- Juan Lagares, CF
- Curtis Granderson, RF
- David Wright, 3B
- Michael Cuddyer, 1B
- Daniel Murphy, 2B
- Travis d’Arnaud, C
- John Mayberry Jr., LF
- Wilmer Flores, SS
- Anthony Recker, DH
Juan Lagares is back in the leadoff spot, and Wilmer Flores returns to action after a hit by pitch scare. As a matter of fact, except for the omission of Lucas Duda, all the regulars will start the game today.
Also scheduled to pitch today for the Mets are top prospect Noah Syndergaard, and bullpen fixtures Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia.
So tune into SNY or WOR and enjoy the game!
