Matt Harvey confirmed on Tuesday in court that he indeed engaged in drug use during the early part of his career, most of which took place in New York with the Mets, specifically identifying cocaine as his drug of choice.
Harvey’s revelation came during his testimony in the trial for ex-Angels employee Eric Kay, who is facing federal charges for allegedly providing drugs that led to the death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, a former teammate of Harvey’s.
It also raised questions to how prevalent this occurred during his days with the Mets.
According to Adam Rubin, who covered the Mets for ESPN, the team was well aware of Harvey’s drug habit and, along with the pitcher’s agent, tried to get him help.
Harvey emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball during the early portion of his Mets career, starting the All-Star Game at Citi Field in 2013. After missing 2014 due to Tommy John surgery, Harvey returned in 2015 and was a key part of winning the National League pennant that year.
But his knack for injuries and ending up in the tabloids for his partying ways, including one instance where he failed to show up to Citi Field for a game (one in which he was not pitching), began to overshadow his performance on the field, which was also lacking.
Harvey was asked about his cocaine use during New York while on trial, but said he never lied about it because “no one really asked.”
Listen to sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest MLB team gear
The former Mets ace was asked these questions at the Skaggs hearing because Kay had alleged that Skaggs obtained Percocet from Harvey.
Harvey admitted that he did share Percocet with Skaggs while with the Angels in 2019, although the medical examiner ruled that “alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with a terminal aspiration of gastric contents” were the cause of death.
The 32-year-old also said he would have pled the fifth if he had not been granted immunity.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram