Matt Harvey receives standing ovation from Mets fans in first start against team

Matt Harvey has a somewhat checkered history with the New York Mets, but the fans were eager to focus on the good times Wednesday in the pitcher’s return to Citi Field.

The former Mets ace, now a member of the Baltimore Orioles, made his first start at Citi Field against his former club on Wednesday. He received a standing ovation from the crowd, who appeared to remember him quite fondly.

Matt Harvey receives a standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd. pic.twitter.com/TEBmi0i7bV

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 12, 2021

Harvey’s first three MLB seasons were outstanding, and he started the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field while finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting. He famously talked his way into pitching the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series, but lost the lead and was never the same after that. The end of his tenure with the organization was marked by a lot of off-field drama and little success, but clearly, fans were willing to look past that here.

Wednesday’s outing went poorly for the 32-year-old. The Mets tagged him for eight hits and seven earned runs in 4.1 innings.