Pitcher Matt Harvey Retires, Ending Hyped Career That Fell Short Of Its Promise

If Matt Harvey’s 2012 New York Mets big league debut and subsequent meteoric rise over the next year was every bit the baseball shockwave — Sports Illustrated magazine cover subject, Jimmy Fallon guest appearance, “Harvey Day” marketing blitz of his Citi Field pitching starts, National League starter in the 2013 All-Star Game — his farewell to the sport was the equivalent of whimper.

“Goodbye, baseball. And thank you,” Harvey posted on his Instagram account May 5, beneath a photo of the pitcher wearing a No. 33 Mets uniform, his mouth agape and his right fist clenched in celebration.

The IG post also has a four-panel note, a mostly Mets-leaning love letter in which Harvey thanks family, friends, teammates, fans and the different clubs he played for, and he specifically cites an April 19, 2013 start at Citi Field when he opposed the Washington Nationals’ ace, Stephen Strasburg.

“It was incredible, especially when (the fans) started chanting, ‘Harvey’s better!’ during the game,” said Terry Collins, who was the Mets manager for most of Harvey’s tenure with the club, including that early-season game in 2013. “It was so loud, and (Harvey) was so dominant. It was also the game we desperately needed to win. We were just coming back from a big (eight-game) road trip, so we had sent Matt back a little early so he could get some rest, not have to fly all night. He just stepped up and carried the whole team that night.”

Harvey out-dueled Strasburg, and gave up one run on four hits over seven innings, while striking out seven. Harvey earned the win to improve to 4-0. He later started the All-Star Game at Citi Field that summer, but his 2013 season was ultimately marred by the first of several career-altering injuries — a torn UCL in his pitching elbow, necessitating Tommy John surgery.

Collins said he was “saddened and shocked” by Harvey’s retirement announcement, especially after Collins watched the right-hander pitch well for Team Italy in this year’s World Baseball Classic.

“I still thought (Harvey) could help somebody,” said Collins.

Instead, Harvey, 34, leaves the game with a 50-66 record, over $30 million in career earnings, some flashes of brilliance and dominance on the mound, but also his fair share of health and personal setbacks, the latter including his time on the stand in a 2022 federal criminal trial. Harvey testified that he used cocaine during his Mets tenure, and also testified that he provided opioids to Angels teammate Tyler Skaggs in 2019. Skaggs died later that season, and an Angels executive, Eric Kay, was convicted by a jury of providing the lethal drugs that led to Skaggs’ death.

Harvey also faced fallout from the Kay trial. The pitcher was suspended 60 games by Major League Baseball for drug distribution, a violation of the Joint Drug Agreement.

By that 2019 season, though, Harvey was a already a shell of his former pitching self. After Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2014 season, Harvey came back strong in 2015, but had to navigate through the season with team-imposed innings limits. By 2018, he had two more major shoulder procedures. He was designated for assignment by the Mets in May that year (Mickey Callaway was manager).

Harvey bounced around to four other clubs, but never reached the heights of his Mets days, when he earned the nickname, “Dark Knight.”

“I hope (fans) remember the same thing I did, and that is how great he was, before the injuries set in. He was exciting, he was dominant. Unbelievable at times,” said Collins, who managed the Mets from 2011-2017. “As the manager, you follow your minor league players, keep an eye on how they’re doing, reading reports. I read all the stuff on Matt Harvey, and when he came up, he was so much better than anybody ever said. That’s where he finally got a chance to compete at the highest level, and he was gonna show everybody he belonged there.

“And he did, for sure.”

When Harvey — a 2010 first-round pick — took the mound in his famous Game 5 start of the ‘15 World Series against Kansas City, the Mets were already down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Harvey stormed through eight innings of shutout ball, and talked his way back out on the field to start the ninth.

Collins said he still marvels at Harvey’s “competitiveness” that was on display throughout his time with the Mets, and never more apparent than during Game 5.

“That’s exactly what happened in Game 5. It was, ‘Give me the baseball.’ I said, ‘You’ve got it, son. It’s all yours. You earned this,’” said Collins, recalling the exchange between him and Harvey that night. “That was my call. He gave us everything he had. Certainly that was another electric night. You’re talking about 43,000-plus (44,859) people chanting his name. It can’t be nicer than that.”