In the first half of the 2010s decade, right-hander Matt Harvey was one of the best and most influential pitchers in MLB.
He was a part of that incredible young Mets rotation that made it all the way to the World Series in 2015.
Matt Harvey
Jacob deGrom
Noah Syndergaard
Zach Wheeler
Steven MatzWhat could've been 😔
— Josh Wolf (@itsjoshwolf) May 5, 2023
A lot of things happened since 2016 to this day, things that robbed us of prime Harvey.
After years of struggles to find good health and consistency, and a controversy here and there, Harvey announced his retirement from baseball on Friday.
“Goodbye, Baseball. And thank you,” he wrote as part of the statement.
Matt Harvey has announced his retirement from baseball on Instagram:
"To the fans, most importantly the NY Mets fans: You made a dream come true for me. You are forever embedded in my heart. Goodbye, Baseball. And thank you."
(via IG/mattharvey33) pic.twitter.com/RRvSVQNcyo
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 5, 2023
He was a phenomenal pitcher when he broke onto the scene, as he posted a 2.36 ERA though his first 36 starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
His 2015 return was magnificent, as he had a 2.71 regular-season ERA and led his team to the Fall Classic.
He became a notorious figure when he argued for the ball in Game 5 of the World Series in the ninth inning after completing eight shutout frames with the Mets leading 2-0 but down 3-1 in the series.
The Kansas City Royals rallied to tie the game off him and then won the Fall Classic in extras.
He was never the same after that, as thoracic outlet syndrome really derailed his career from that point on.
Fans reacted to the news on Twitter.
Matt Harvey retiring has be so emotional for some reason.
He deserved more. 2015 should have been the @Mets year.
— Steph (@StephLaStella) May 5, 2023
say what you want about matt harvey, but that energy he brought to citi field was truly electric.
wishing him the best in retirement! https://t.co/ML3jHAoJYs
— Michelle Ioannou (@mnioannou) May 5, 2023
sad to hear about Matt Harvey retiring. For a brief moment, he was one of my favorite players to watch in all of baseball. Happy Harvey Day was must-see TV. pic.twitter.com/ONy3NyHkMK
— Greg Aument (@aument14) May 5, 2023
In 115 games after thoracic outlet surgery, he had a horrible 5.92 ERA.
He also had to serve a 60-game suspension in 2022 for drug use and confessed he exchanged pain pills with the late Tyler Skaggs on occasion.
Harvey could have been a Hall of Famer.
He was that good.
But it just wasn’t meant to be.
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