Embattled New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey made his season debut on Tuesday night, tossing five shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Harvey threw 86 pitches on the night, 56 of those were fastballs. He topped out at 93 mph and sat in the low-90s, several ticks below his prime velocity and down from last season. The cold and wet Citi Field conditions may have contributed to that. Harvey nonetheless coerced eight swinging strikes on his fastballs, with the Phillies missing some pitches they shouldn't have.
Harvey's secondary offerings weren't quite as effective for him on the evening. Between the 30 breaking balls and changeups he threw, just one generated a whiff. Overall, he allowed one hit -- a single -- on the night. He also walked a batter, but managed five strikeouts.
It's fair to write that Harvey's results were better than he looked. But that's a better outcome than the Mets received for most of 2017. After all, Harvey finished last season with a 6.70 ERA across 19 appearances. He exited a game having allowed one run or fewer twice all season.
