Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Harvey returned to Citi Field on Wednesday. MMO’s own Rob Piersall was there and wrote all about the experience. The rest of us here at MMO may not have been at the game, but we wanted to chime in, too.
I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on Matt Harvey’s time with the Mets this week and have come away with a newfound respect for what the former ace did for this franchise and really this fan base. Harvey’s ascent will always be most remembered for his contributions to the 2015 NL Champion Mets, but his first two seasons were in some way even more special.
Harvey burst onto the scene for the Mets more dominant and with more personality than most of the Met greats we have seen before him. He captured the imagination of a fan base with his Dark Knight persona and made it a party every fifth day at Citi Field in a way that even peak Jacob deGrom has not quite matched. Harvey did not have the longevity he or the team would have hoped for, but for a moment in time there was no bigger star in New York City than Harvey.
We all put professional athletes on a pedestal way too frequently — whether it’s talking about their trade/free-agent status, statistics, hot streaks, cold streaks, etc. It’s almost natural to assume these guys are not like us. But they are. They have thoughts and feelings and having a bad day personally can impact them at work, just like it does for many of us. For Harvey to even get to where he’s at with the Orioles after everything he’s been through is amazing.
Baseball is a game of failure when things are going well, and when they got as bad as they did for him, it would’ve been easy to just give up. I’m glad he didn’t and got the standing ovation at Citi Field he deserved. Seeing him back in Queens was surreal enough, but I think the Mets made a big mistake by not putting together a video tribute in his honor. At times, he was the only reason to truly get excited about Mets baseball. He was the straw that stirred the drink, and it was awesome. I was waiting for a three-minute video going through all of his best moments, but it never came. It would’ve been the perfect stroll down memory lane, and the least the organization could’ve done to thank him for everything he contributed. It’s too bad they missed that opportunity.
First off, kudos to Mets fans for doing the right thing. Three separate ovations – when Matt Harvey took the mound, when he came to bat and when he exited the game – were more than deserved for the man formerly known as the Dark Knight. Given the way it ended and the time that’s gone by, it’s easy to forget just how momentous each Harvey start was early in his career. Pre-2015, the team was in a bad way, there wasn’t much to root for, but every five days you knew you were in for some kind of show.
Another gold star goes to SNY, for showing that clip from his 2013 start against the Nationals. After Harvey got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam and Stephen Strasburg surrendered home runs to Ike Davis and Lucas Duda, the crowd at Citi Field broke out into a chant of “Harvey’s better.” And for that moment, he was. We all know how it ended. Selfishly, part of me hoped he went six strong innings Wednesday and the Mets won the game late. Obviously, that wasn’t the case, and seven in a row is more important than feelings of nostalgia.
Seeing Harvey’s postgame presser was really a moment of introspection. He was reserved, but revealing, showing emotion in a way that was eye-opening as to where he is in his career. The only demerit on the day goes to the organization. I know he received a tribute video when he returned to Citi for the first time as a member of the Reds, but this was his first start in Queens wearing an opposing team’s uniform. Surely, a two minute video isn’t asking for much, the fans deserved it, and more importantly, so did he.
I was really glad to see Harvey get a positive ovation from the Citi Field crowd yesterday. Although things with the ‘Dark Knight’ didn’t end how Mets fans would have hoped, Harvey brought life back to a franchise for a time when there was not much life at all to speak of. I’m not sure a tribute video or anything like that would have been warranted because of how fast his peak in New York came and went, but there is no doubt that Matt Harvey pitched his heart out during his time with the Mets and that was appropriately celebrated as he took the mound yesterday afternoon by the fans.
Mets fans who were in attendance and gave Harvey a standing ovation, I’m proud of you. It was the right move and it was deserved. I am a bit surprised there was no tribute video for Harvey. Yeah, I know that there was one when he returned in 2018, but if you are going to make Harvey’s return the storyline for the week leading into the game, and its his first time back since 2018, what’s the harm in another one?
Harvey showed his humanity in his post-game press conference, which was truly great and emotional to see. It was easy for fans to get caught up in everything that happened with him and forget that he is human (heck, we all turned him into a superhero) and yesterday was a reminder that he did care about the team and that he tried his hardest as a Met. Now, if only the Mets offense was as alive with him on the mound when he was a Met as they were on Wednesday…
