Matt Harvey, who helped pitch the Mets to the 2015 World Series before seeing his career derailed by injuries and an MLB suspension for drug use, announced his retirement on Friday. “To the fans, most importantly the NY Mets fans: you made a dream come true for me,’’ Harvey wrote on Instagram. “A dream I never thought could be true. Who would have thought a kid from Mystic, CT, would be able to play in the greatest city in the world, his hometown. You are forever embedded in my heart… Goodbye, baseball. And thank you.” The 34-year-old right-hander last pitched in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles in 2021. He spent last season in Baltimore’s minor league system after he served his ban for violating the joint drug program between MLB and the MLB Players Association following his testimony in the Tyler Skaggs case.
Harvey last pitched competitively for Team Italy in the WBC, where he gave up one run in seven innings over two starts. At the time, he told The Post’s Jon Heyman that he wanted to continue his career, despite his diminished arsenal. “Obviously, I’m not pumping mid-to-upper-90s anymore — at least not yet,’’ Harvey said in March. “Hopefully, the velo comes back. But if it doesn’t, I feel like I still know how to pitch and get guys out. I’ve worked really hard on a different style of pitching. I feel good. Hopefully, the stuff will come back. But I can still pitch. The game is still about getting people out.”
Harvey was the Mets’ first-round pick, seventh overall, in the 2010 amateur draft and made his debut in 2012. Harvey stormed onto the scene at the end of the 2012 season and became a hero among fans with a flame-throwing arm and unflinching confidence that made him an All-Star in 2013. He struggled in 2016 and ended up having surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome and couldn’t regain his form. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end for this star pitcher.
