Matt Harvey’s Mets tenure didn’t end the way fans envisioned, but the former ace still received a warm welcome when he returned to Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon.
In his first career start against his former team, Harvey walked out to the mound to a standing ovation from the limited capacity crowd, which watched the former Mets star toss a scoreless first inning.
Harvey received another standing ovation in the top of the second inning when he came to bat for the Orioles, before Taijuan Walker struck him out looking to end the inning.
Wednesday wasn’t Harvey’s first time back at Citi Field since being traded in 2018, but it was his first time on the mound, as he returned to New York after being dealt to the Reds, but did not appear in that series. It’s been a rocky road back to Citi Field for Harvey, who looked like a blossoming star with the Mets after leading the team to a World Series appearance in 2015, but injuries and controversies that included late nights out led to a sour ending to his New York tenure.
He pitched to a 3.66 ERA in six seasons with the Mets, and hasn’t thrown more than 60 innings in a season since being traded to Cincinnati. He has played for the Angels, Royals and now the Orioles since finishing his brief Reds tenure.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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