Mets right-hander Matt Harvey was mighty impressive in his return from Tommy John surgery today against the Nationals, allowing just four hits and one walk over six scoreless innings while striking out nine batters. Three of those strikeouts were against Bryce Harper, who appeared to be overmatched against Harvey’s wicked stuff.
Harper was complimentary to Harvey after the game and even made a prediction, though it wasn’t exactly bold:
Harper on Matt Harvey: 'He's going to be a Cy Young one day and everybody knows that. He's one of the toughest at-bats I've ever had.' #Nats
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) April 9, 2015
You can see highlights from Harvey’s start here. You’ll notice that the at-bats against Harper ended with a 97 mph fastball, a 97 mph fastball, and a 96 mph fastball. Ridiculous.
According to Brooks Baseball, Harvey induced 15 whiffs in his 91 pitches. It’s safe to say he’s picking up from where he left off nearly 20 months ago.
