Harvey talks his way in the 9th, and it backfires

In Game 5 of the 2015 World Series (KC-NYM GameTracker), Mets right-hander Matt Harvey was dominant through eight innings. In the middle of the eighth, Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen appeared to inform Harvey that he was done and that they’d entrust the 2-0 lead over the Royals to the bullpen.

Harvey immediately mounted a vigorous argument to remain in the game, first to Warthen and then, on the end of the dugout, to manager Terry Collins. Here’s a sampling …

Following all of that, this happened …

Harvey wins the summary judgment. And following that, this happened …

And following the first half of that, with the prelude to a blown lead completed, this happened …

(USATSI)

Lead squandered, decision questioned.

Yes, Harvey had been in peak form for the first 8.0 innings, but in the ninth he was facing the heart of the KC order for the fourth time. There’s a penalty to facing the opposing lineup so many times in the same game, and it’s especially real the third and fourth times through. For instance, here are Harvey’s OPS-allowed numbers for his career based on times through the order …

1st: .541
2nd: .534
3rd: .647
4th: .935

Yes, the fourth-time sample size is small, but that’s with good reason. Harvey’s steady decline in what are typically the later innings is also fully in keeping with the performance degradation suffered by almost every starting pitcher. It’s probably part mounting fatigue and part increasing in-game familiarity on the part of the hitter, but whatever the case any reasonable reliever is usually a better choice than even an ace on his fourth lap through the opposing lineup.

Of course, there’s a human element to this. I’m not the one tasked with telling Matt Harvey he can’t go out there again — that’s Terry Collins, and any criticism of Collins’ decision must be leavened by the admission that it’s not the critic who must make that hard choice. At the very least, though, Harvey should’ve been lifted after that free pass to Cain. Harvey, at most, had lobbied his way toward one additional base-runner, and once the potential tying run came to the plate that should’ve been it.

Actually, “it” should’ve been after the eighth inning, as difficult as that would’ve been on a practical, in-the-dugout level.

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