Tonight marks what very well could be the most interesting and certainly the most important start of Matt Harvey‘s career. Harvey is coming off a tumultuous five days of turmoil between his agent, his team, his fans and himself. The debates have been heated. The arguments have been vicious. The fans have been rabid. Everyone has been out for Matt Harvey over the last week and in many cases, rightfully so as Harvey has not handled the situation as well as he could have.
“Like I said, I’m focused on Tuesday, ” Harvey responded when initially asked if he would pitch in the postseason..
Obviously since then Harvey did release his official statement through Derek Jeter‘s “The Player’s Tribune,” advising that he would indeed pitch in the playoffs if the Mets make it. Well Tuesday is here and now is the time for Harvey to continue to do his part to make sure the Mets are there in October. As David Wright put it, an “angry Matt Harvey” will take the mound today with probably a sense for the first time in a long time of needing to prove something.
“I think Matt Harvey is going to step up and show everybody in New York, everybody in baseball, that he’s as tough as the persona he puts on,” manager Terry Collins said Monday.
“Matt Harvey is a competitor. As I told him the other day, ‘Look, the only way you’re going to restore all the things you stand for is to walk out there on that mound and pitch like you can pitch. That’s the only way you earn it. That’s what got you here.'”
Harvey here has a nice chance to take away some of the heat on himself by going out there and giving seven stellar innings to a ball-club that needs to take at least one of the next two games in this series to fortify their first place hold of the National League East.
Tonight’s the night all eyes, not just in New York and Washington, but around all of baseball, will be on The Dark Knight, as this story has blown up everywhere. Now is the time for Harvey to rise.
