Matt Harvey says ‘I will pitch in the playoffs’
New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey has finally weighed in on his possible innings limit this season. Harvey wrote an article for The Players’ Tribune, telling fans that he “will pitch in the playoffs.”
Harvey confirmed that he’s on an 180-185 innings limit, but said that’s the number that will allow him to pitch into the postseason. He also took the article as an opportunity to tell the fans that he wants to pitch, especially in the playoffs.
All of this came a day after Harvey said 180 innings was his limit, and wouldn’t tell reporters whether he would be available during the postseason.
Harvey had Tommy John surgery in 2013, and this is his first full season back after suffering from the injury. Harvey’s agent, Scott Boras, recently chimed in, saying the Mets needed to rest the young pitcher once he hit 180 innings. The Mets fired back, saying Harvey had more of a “soft” innings limit.
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Harvey said he’s aware of the risks involved with exceeding his innings limit, but added that every party involved in now on the same page.
I am communicating with my agent, my doctor, Sandy and the entire Mets organization. I can assure everyone that we’re all on the same page.
Together, we are coming up with a plan to reach an innings limit during the season. It will be a compromise between the doctors and the Mets organization to get me, and the team, to where we need to be for our postseason run.
I understand the risks. I am also fully aware of the opportunity the Mets have this postseason. Winning the division and getting to the playoffs is our goal.
Once we are there, I will be there.
There you have it.
Despite the fact that Harvey has finally weighed in, it’s unclear what the actual plan will be. His comments seem to indicate that he will be shut down by the Mets once he hits his limit during the regular season, but then would come back during the playoffs.
That’s just a guess based on his article, and may not be the actual plan. Harvey has already thrown 166 1/3 innings, so he would have about two starts left in the regular season before he’s shut down if that’s the case. Presumably, he would stay fresh over the last couple weeks of the year, and then return to pitch in the team’s first playoff series.
That is, of course, if the Mets make it to the postseason. The team currently has a four-game lead over the Washington Nationals in the National League East, and will begin a series in Washington on Monday.
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The Nationals have played better lately, and could put pressure on New York over the last four weeks of the year. If Harvey is going to miss the final two weeks of the regular season, that would make things more difficult for the Mets.
Overall, the message is probably what the fans wanted to hear, though it’s not as if Harvey had much of a choice. If he admitted he didn’t really want to pitch over his limit, fans would have questioned his dedication to the team. Some were already calling out Harvey’s toughness when the story first broke.
With his article, Harvey acknowledges that exceeding his limit is a potential danger, but it seems like he’s willing to take that risk if the Mets are going to make a postseason run. As long as Harvey is willing to pitch in a playoff series, it seems like the fans will be satisfied with this decision.
Now that Harvey has commented, this issue should finally be put to rest. Knowing all the parties involved here, though, it seems highly unlikely that will happen.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
