Matt Harvey returned to the mound for the Mets and it was glorious
Matt Harvey, returning to game action for the first time since Tommy John surgery, wasted no time in showing the world that he still has his dominant stuff. Hello, 99 mph fastball.
Harvey, starting for the New York Mets in Friday’s spring training game against the Detroit Tigers, didn’t allow a hit in two innings. More importantly: He struck out three and consistently hit 96-98 mph on the radar gun, topping out at 99.
After the game, Harvey said his curveball was sharper after the time off. And that showed in his performance. Harvey also said his slider was moving well. That’s encouraging too. He drew rave reviews, even from fellow MLB pitchers, like Brett Anderson of the Los Angeles Dodgers:
It’s not prudent to shout that the Mets’ ace is back after two spring-training innings, but it sure was impressive (and encouraging for Mets fans) to see Harvey at the top of his game. He hadn’t pitched in a game since Aug. 24, 2013, when he was in the middle of a breakout season and among the contenders for NL Cy Young.
If Harvey can be as good as his 2013 self — again, let’s wait a little bit before proclaiming that, but the first taste was nice — the Mets are hoping their pitching staff can make them NL playoff contenders. After Harvey, they have NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom and youngster Zack Wheeler to complement Bartolo Colon and either Jonathon Niese or Dillon Gee. Could they sniff a wild-card spot? It’s not out of the question.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
