Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |
In five years, Matt Harvey has gone from young star at the top of his craft to out of baseball -- throwing bullpen sessions on empty fields as he attempts to return to the game he loves.
The mix of dominance and star power that was Harvey at his Mets peak is hard to describe, and his fall -- due in large part to thoracic outlet syndrome that developed after the 2015 season -- was as painful to watch as his rise was thrilling.
David Wright, who was Harvey's teammate through all of it, believes he never would've experienced a World Series without Harvey pitching past his innings limit in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. And he's hoping he can resurrect his career.
"I'm pulling for Matt," Wright said on the Metrospective Podcast with Pete McCarthy and Tim Britton. "Without Matt -- selfishly -- I don't get a chance to play in a World Series, certainly. He (had a decision to make in 2015) that honestly weighed heavily after coming off that Tommy John (surgery), which route he should go. Fortunately, ultimately, good for the organization, good for the team, good for me, he chose to pitch on and was absolutely dominant.
"There's a handful of seasons or pitchers that I can look back throughout my career and say 'this guy was on a different level.' Matt Harvey, when he was right, was on a different level. I got to know Matt very well. ... he's easy to root for. He's a guy that, again, I owe a great deal of gratitude for (him) doing what he did to carry us to a World Series, through that postseason. I'm sure that was not an easy decision and he did that for the good of the team, good of the organization."
In the middle of the 2015 season, when the Mets seemed ticketed for the playoffs, there were discussions between the Mets, Harvey, and his agent, Scott Boras, about how to proceed.
Boras didn't want Harvey to blow past his innings limit. And for a time, it seemed Harvey was going to err on the side of caution and shut things down before the postseason. Instead, he went for it. And nearly helped deliver the Mets a title in the process.
Wright recounted Harvey's decision and the discussion leading up to it.
"We were just bouncing the pros and cons against each other," he said about his talks with Harvey during that time. "What was the best direction not only for us as a team, but him personally. How he should go about it, this and that. He was just throwing ideas off me and I was trying to bounce them right back off of him. Because, obviously, it's a tough spot. You look at it and it's -- somebody is telling you there's this innings limit that you should abide by. But at the same time, we've got a chance to do something special with that pitching staff and the addition of (Yoenis Cespedes and others).
"Ultimately, he made a decision that was great for the city, great for the fan base, great for the organization. Again, we don't go to the World Series without Matt Harvey -- zero chance."
As far as the ninth inning of Game 5 of the World Series, Wright says Terry Collins' choice to send Harvey out there was "the right call."
"When I think of Matt Harvey, that's what I think of -- in a good way. ...Guys enjoyed playing behind him, because he wanted to win and he wanted to win badly."
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