Just Mets

In his Grapefruit League debut on Friday, Matt Harvey retired all six batters he faced with three strikeouts, throwing 25 pitches in his two innings.

“Things felt so good that the fact I had surgery is completely out of my mind,” Harvey told reporters after his outing.

Harvey faced an opposing team on Friday for the first time since allowing 13 hits and two runs to the Tigers on August 24, 2013 at Citi Field.

Harvey was appreciative of the fan support when he went to warm up in the bullpen, as it reminded him of his All-Star Game start in 2013 at Citi Field.

Harvey jokingly asked Terry Collins if he could pitch a couple of more innings.

“That was laughed about,” Harvey said.

Yes, its only two innings in a Spring Training game, But, wow. That was awesome. He was throwing hard – he hit 99 mph on a few occasions – he mixed in the new curve and his other off-speed pitches, and he worked quickly. It’s like he never missed a beat. A big key for Harvey will be how he feels tomorrow, but all signs are looking good for Harvey and the Mets at the moment.

The thing is, I expected Harvey to go out there and kill it, which probably isn’t fair to him. He’s going to have off-days as he works his way through this process, and it will be a let down when that happens. But this was a fantastic day for the Mets and the fans – the crowd was electric, and the buzz in social media was unreal for a spring training game as well. Things are finally starting to feel right with this team, and this outing by Harvey was further convincing of that.

To see video of Harvey’s return, click the play button below: