All You Need to Know About Matt Harvey

Exploring the core elements of All You Need to Know About Matt Harvey—check out the main takeaways.

Harvey attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied sports management and played baseball for the Tar Heels. He concluded his college career at North Carolina with a 22-7 record and a 3.73 ERA. Meanwhile, during the summers of 2008 and 2009, Harvey played for the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Chatham Anglers.

The New York Mets selected Harvey seventh overall in the 2010 MLB draft. He began his professional career in the organization’s minor league system, playing for the Single-A St. Lucie Mets and the Double-A Binghamton Mets in 2011. The next season, Harvey was promoted to the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons.

Harvey got promoted to the majors in the summer of 2012 when the Mets were struggling. In his debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he struck out 11 batters, setting a Mets franchise record for strikeouts in a pitching debut. Harvey also scored two hits. In his second professional start, against the San Francisco Giants, he struck out seven times, bringing his total to 18, a Mets rookie record in his first two games. Harvey finished the season 3-5, with a 2.73 ERA and 70 strikeouts. He went on to have another great season in 2013, beginning with 19 strikeouts in his first two starts.

Harvey pitched a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves in June, striking out a career-high 13 batters. Later, in August, he threw his first career complete-game shutout, leading the Mets to a 5-0 victory over the Rockies. However, before the end of the month, he was put on the disabled list owing to an elbow injury. Harvey concluded the 2013 season 9-5, with a 2.27 ERA and 191 strikeouts.

Harvey missed the whole 2014 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. He returned in good form in April 2015, allowing no runs in six innings while striking out nine against the Washington Nationals. The next month, Harvey faced the St. Louis Cardinals and allowed no runs in eight innings while striking out nine. In a July triumph over the Diamondbacks, he hit his first professional home run. The Mets advanced to the postseason, where they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS. The Mets suffered a World Series loss to the Kansas City Royals.

Harvey’s effectiveness decreased in future seasons, with injuries playing a big role. In 2016, his season was cut short to allow him to have surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, a neurological disease. Harvey spent the following season on the injured list due to a stress fracture. In his final season with the Mets in 2018, he made only eight appearances, going 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA. After refusing to be sent to the minors, he was eventually assigned in May.