Everytime I watch Matt Harvey pitch, those words come to mind and it’s not just me. It’s become the Mets Meme on Twitter every time Harvey pitches. It’s brought up mockingly when you’re watching the game with other fans. Who knows, maybe those words give Matt Harvey a little extra motivation to prove SNY’s Matthew Cerrone wrong when he wrote back on March 8, “My bet is Harvey never wins a Cy Young.”
I take a little added joy whenever Harvey goes out and delivers like he did last night in the Mets 7-1 victory over the Nationals. He was a warrior. It was a marquee matchup between two of baseball’s pitching elite; Matt Harvey vs Stephen Strasburg, and at least on this particular night, Harvey delivered the knockout blow. It was a roundhouse punch straight to the jaw of all those who doubted him.
Harvey is currently the best pitcher in the National League and perhaps the entire game. In just his first full season, he is 4-0 with a 0.93 ERA. He has allowed 10 hits in his four starts. The only Met pitchers with more strikeouts in their first 14 games than Harvey’s 102 Ks are Dwight Gooden and Nolan Ryan. Gooden, by the way, may just be Matt Harvey’s biggest fan. He watches every game, tweets about him before, during and after every start, and even tagged him “The Real Deal. He should know.
Gary Cohen said during the SNY broadcast, that last night at Citi Field was the best atmosphere at a Mets game he’s felt since Johan Santana‘s performance on September 27, 2008. That was the game that kept the Mets season alive for one more day, and was to me his greatest moment as a Met. Because of the significance of that game, it was greater still than his no-hitter.
Last night at Citi Field there was a vibe that I haven’t felt in many, many years. There were a ton of empty seats to be sure, but you wouldn’t know it by the fan’s noise level and the cheers that drowned out anything Gary, Keith and Ron had to say. There was some old-fashioned magic in the air and if you didn’t feel it then you may want to consider your inner Mets fandom.
Matt Harvey reminded me of those nights when Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden would electrify the crowd. Their mere presence gave us hope that the night would be magical and that we were all in store for a special treat. Those two names are iconic symbols whenever you talk about Mets pitching royalty. Those two have won their share of Cy Youngs.
As I wrote back on March 8 in response to the decree by SNY’s Blogfather, “Matt Harvey will have his Cy Youngs. One day he will be remembered along with Seaver and Gooden as the greatest pitchers ever to don a Met uniform.”
So, will Matt Harvey ever win a Cy Young? You bet your ass he will, and his first Cy Young may come as soon as this season. The first of many.
Last night’s duel over Stephen Strasburg had a very loud, clear, and convincing message attached to it. Last night, Matt Harvey put the National League and all of baseball on notice. Harvey is, as Doctor K plainly put it, The Real Deal. Put away any lingering doubts.
