Matt Harvey threw 97 pitches in 6.2 innings in a 10-2 Mets win over the Reds on Saturday, as New York clinched the NL East. There has been a lot of drama over Harvey’s innings limit over the past few months, but that appears to be behind the team as they head into the playoffs. The New York Daily News relays quotes from Mets manager Terry Collins that indicate Harvey has overruled his agent, Scott Boras:
“I think Matt got frustrated by what happened in the Yankee game,” Collins said. “He got caught in the middle of this thing, and I’ve said all along that he’s a good teammate, but some guys in that clubhouse got turned off by it. And I can understand that. So I think what he did today was his way of saying to them, ‘Hey look, what happened happened. I can’t change that but I’m still the guy that wants the baseball.’ And these guys believe him.” […]
“When he came to me last week he said, ‘I want to pitch. I want to stay out there. I want to throw 100 pitches and I want to do it twice (before the end of the season). “He said, ‘We’re going to win this thing and I’m going to pitch in the playoffs, and I’ve got to be ready. And I’m not ready.’ ”
In the Yankee game Collins is referring to, Harvey pitched five innings, and gave up no earned runs and just one hit. He was pulled, the Mets bullpen imploded, and the Yankees won 11-2.“For all the things that people have said,” Harvey said after the game, via the Daily News, “the last thing I ever want to do is put the ball down, and we’re on our way to October. I’m going to be there. I’m going to be fighting every time I get the ball.”
None of this to say that Boras is to blame for keeping Harvey’s longevity in mind — that’s his job — but Harvey was in an impossible situation in weighing preservation vs. contribution to a team when you have no idea if or when you’ll be in a pennant race again. In the short term, it appears that all involved will avoid the nightmare media scenario if this had simmered over into the postseason.
from The Big Lead http://ift.tt/1iUpoFu
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