Matt Harvey returned and pitched as fantastic as ever

There was no rust on Matt Harvey in his first real MLB game in 18 months.

The New York Mets ace, returning from Tommy John surgery, looked as fantastic as ever Thursday against the Washington Nationals. He struck out nine batters, threw six shutout innings and allowed four hits in the Mets’ 6-3 win.

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Harvey pitched well in spring training, so it’s not a huge surprise that his regular-season debut would be a success. But still, there’s a difference between spring games in Florida and regular-season games on the road against a division rival.

For proof that was Harvey was functioning at his best, look no further than his matchups with Nats slugger Bryce Harper. These were heavyweight bouts, power vs. power, that Harvey won each time. He struck out Harper three times – hitting 97, 97 and 96 on the radar gun for his three strikeout pitches.

In all, Harvey threw 91 pitches, 63 of them for strikes. He topped out at 97 mph, and hit that eight times in the first inning alone. 

[Check out this special GIF of Matt Harvey’s nasty pitches]

Harvey’s performance was, plain and simply, everything he and the Mets could have hoped for. The two sides clashed a few times during his rehab. The headstrong Harvey wanted to return earlier than the typical Tommy John pitcher. The Mets, with no incentive to rush him, didn’t want Harvey to return in 2014.

It’s all under the bridge now. Harvey is back. There’s legit excitement around the team this year. In the end, a tough injury and a contentious rehab ended here — with the ace back in his rightful place, looking fantastic.

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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