Mets ace Matt Harvey, a.k.a The Dark Knight pulled a no-show for a game vs the Miami Marlins at Citi field Saturday and was subsequently suspended.
He’d been claiming he was suffering from ‘migraine’ headaches, after golfing sometime early Saturday, and that’s what caused him to have to call in sick, however from the moment this report was released; it was clear there was much more going on behind the scenes.
Apparently, the team sent handlers to Harvey’s apartment to check on him & his story (first indication this is not a normal situation), and then chose to suspend him for three games ahead of his start that Sunday. Many were wondering why Harvey was suspended for needing a sick day, but now were seeing Harvey wasn’t suspended for being under the weather; he was suspended for the way he went about it.
According to Page Six, Harvey was out “celebrating” Cinco De Mayo until about 4 a.m., just hours ahead of the game he missed:
Harvey — who makes $5.1 million and is 2-2 with a 5.14 ERA this season — rolled up on the velvet rope club “with his boys” at about 1 a.m. and settled into a private table, the sources said.
The star pitcher threw back a triple play of top-shelf booze, including Armand de Brignac “Ace of Spades” Champagne, Don Julio 1942 tequila and Belvedere vodka, witnesses said.
Harvey and his entourage kept to themselves until leaving the West 17th Street club, sources said.
Harvey, 28, wasn’t the Mets’ starter Saturday, however manager Terry Collins didn’t notice Harvey’s absence until batting practice began around 4:30 p.m., meaning there’d been no communication that Harvey wouldn’t be showing up.
Harvey’s lack of winning means his act is rapidly wearing thin within the Mets organization. Not only is management now speaking out publicly, but teammates are also starting to touch on his level of commitment, albeit speaking anonymously:
“He wants to be Derek Jeter,” said one teammate, summing up the internal frustration with Harvey. “To do that, you’ve got to show up.”
[…]
“Something had to happen,” another teammate said. “There had to be a sense of accountability.”
[…]
Harvey, 28, has long been a source of contention within the Mets’ clubhouse, with some teammates bristling at his outsized “Dark Knight” persona. One teammate described a “sense of alienation” that Harvey created around himself.
There’s not too much to say about baseball before August, so any story with legs we’ll take. It’ll be interesting to see if the Mets will look to part ways with Harvey while he still has SOME value left, or if they try to rehab a grown man who clearly loves what major league baseball does for him, rather than the game itself.