Starting pitcher Matt Harvey is no longer with the New York Mets, but he’s still making headlines in the aftermath of his departure.
In the end, nobody could really save Matt Harvey‘s career with the New York Mets—it was just time for each side to recognize it wasn’t working anymore. However, that doesn’t mean a lot of different people didn’t try to help.
You can add former Met and current SNY broadcaster Keith Hernandez to that list.
As a part of a weeklong media blitz to promote his new book, I’m Keith Hernandez, the 1986 World Series champion talked about what he tried to do on WFAN’s “Boomer and Gio” Wednesday morning, via John Healy of the New York Post.
“I called Scott [Boras], I said, ‘Scott, you gotta pull the reins on this guy, because he’s gonna make it tough on himself’…He goes, ‘Keith, I can’t, he’s gonna do — he’s his own guy — he’s gonna do what he’s gonna do.”
With the way Harvey pitched after getting demoted to the bullpen — a 10.50 ERA in just six innings — the thought at least crossed Hernandez’s mind that he was purposely pitching terrible so he could find a rotation opportunity elsewhere.
He also mentioned that the former ace’s relationship with general manager Sandy Alderson wasn’t great, also via the New York Post.
“He was confrontational with Sandy. They had a tough relationship. Matt was arrogant and, you know what, you meet the same people on the way up, you meet ’em on the way down, too.”
Harvey has dealt with his fair share of serious injuries during his tenure with the Mets— first it was Tommy John surgery before going under the knife to correct his Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. However, it’s also rather clear the right-hander may have not taken his on-field performance as seriously as he should’ve.
Who knows how long he’ll stay with the Cincinnati Reds, too—the club is reportedly already open to trading him. Harvey has started just two games for Cincy, lasting four innings both times. He owns a 3.38 ERA to go along with not walking a hitter yet while posting a 21.9 percent strikeout rate.