We’re all depressed about what’s going on in the world regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, and baseball has become collateral damage. We all need to escape, and now you can read this blog in the alternate: the one where global pandemics were a myth and baseball was around no matter what. We’re imagining the 2020 Mets season as if everything was normal. Enjoy these works of fiction.
This game was made for Sunday night. On one side, you have Marcus Stroman … never one to shy away from big moments and big spotlights. This game certainly has a big spotlight, because on the other side, you have …
The last time Matt Harvey made a start at Citi Field was two years and five days ago, and ironically it was against the Milwaukee Brewers. On that day, the pitcher that captured our imagination in ways not seen since Doc Gooden gave up home runs to Jonathan Villar and somebody named Jeff Bandy. The Dark Knight, who had given up just seven home runs in 178 and 1/3 innings in 2013, and had blown away Miguel Cabrera, Jose Bautista, and Adam Jones in the All-Star Game, was giving up too many home runs to the likes of Mallex Smith, Eric Sogard, and Bandy (who never hit another home run in his career after the one off Harvey. He had suffered a disastrous season with the Angels and was now taking advantage of a ravaged starting pitching staff in Milwaukee to grab one more chance at the spotlight. This time, not as the hero we need or deserve, but as the prodigal son.
After Stroman set the Brewers down 1-2-3 in the top of the first, Harvey strolled to the Citi Field mound for the first time as a visitor. The scribes wondered if Harvey would get a standing ovation at this point. Harvey, who during his media session on Saturday continued his aversion to talking about the past, allowed himself a moment of wistfulness:
“You know, all through my time in New York, the one thing I could always count on was the Mets fans. They pretty much always treated me with respect and love, whether it be in the stands, on the streets, in the grocery stores … I hope the Mets fans know that I always appreciated that. I understand if they boo me, or treat me as the enemy tomorrow night. I get it. But I hope they know that every ounce of love they gave me, I give back to them.”
If there were boos at Citi Field when Harvey strolled to the mound, they were drowned out by the love that oozed from memories of Harvey’s 2012 rookie season. Memories of the 2013 All Star game. And memories of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series, when Harvey refused to come out after the 8th inning to try to see his elusive World Series victory through. While fans will forever debate the decision, they can never debate Harvey’s will and love in that very moment. So when he strolled to the mound for the bottom of the first, the fans had long since forgotten about blowing off the media in Washington. Showing up late to the ballpark after a late night soiree. Jeff Bandy. All forgotten, and all forgiven. There were too many good and relevant memories to lean on.
Harvey struck out Brandon Nimmo on a two seamer to start his night. Jeff McNeil hit one hard off him, but straight to Avisail Garcia for the second out. His matchup with Pete Alonso pitted faces of the franchise, past and present. Alonso took a rip at a first pitch slider for strike one. Strike two was a long drive to left that juiced up the crowd but it just missed the fair pole for strike two. The third pitch was vintage Matt Harvey. Inside corner at the knees … location was so good it would have given a praying mantis a safe haircut. Strike three.
Harvey strolled back to the dugout to wild cheers and gasps from the Mets faithful. Those that didn’t cheer weren’t so much booing, but rather hooting and hollering wondering what the hell they just saw. Matt Harvey’s first inning of the rest of his life were either going to be a spring board or a final memory for us to hold on to.
Michael Conforto doubled to the gap on Harvey’s first pitch in the second inning. After he walked J.D. Davis, Harvey faced Dominic Smith with two runners on, and the crowd cheers for Harvey were subsiding in place of cheers for the Mets to do some damage. Smith provided that damage on a 2-1 pitch that Smith sent screaming into the first row of second 103 for a 3-0 Mets lead. Amed Rosario then whacked a single a whisker over Harvey’s head for a single, and Tomas Nido followed with a dunker to right to put runners on first and third. After a sac bunt by Stroman, Brandon Nimmo lined a single to left to make it 5-0. Jeff McNeil lined out to third, but then came Pete Alonso for revenge, which came in the form of a second deck home run to make the score 7-0. The Brewers bullpen was as empty as Matt Harvey’s soul at that point, as Craig Counsell was desperate for innings from his starting pitchers with all the problems they’ve been having.
Harvey could only provide two more innings as a two run single by Davis in the fourth followed by Dominic Smith’s second home run of the night made the score 11-0. Counsell had remorse for the situation, not seeing a point in coming out to get Harvey at 11-0 and pouring salt in the wound. Instead, he let Harvey wriggle out of one final jam in the fourth before mercifully ending his night in the relative quiet of the third base dugout. The first inning of the rest of Matt Harvey’s life may well turn out to be the last first inning of Matt Harvey’s major league career.
Bobby Wahl entered the game in the fifth inning. ESPN’s viewership was cut in half despite the fact that a second former Met was making his homecoming. Stroman lasted six shutout innings before the Mets mercifully ended his night, giving him a little breather and let the bullpen handle the final three innings with the day off tomorrow. Justin Wilson took care of the 7th, Robert Gsellman took care of the final two. The Mets completed their sweep of the Brewers with an 11-0 victory, and in the process sent three ex-Mets to a very sad flight. One of those ex-Mets will at least have one last inning to look back on and smile at before everything went back to hell.
For the Mets, they give themselves some good footing with a 14-8 record heading into a home series against the Marlins. I ask you … would could go wrong?
Today’s Hate List
- J.T. Riddle
- Bryan Holaday
- Dan Straily
- Chris Coghlan
- Juan Pierre
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
