The story of what happened between Matt Harvey and the New York Mets took another strange twist.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Mets sent several security men to Harvey’s home unannounced to check on him around 10 p.m. Saturday, the day he did not make it to the ballpark. Mets sources claimed the team was simply checking on the pitcher after messages had gone unreturned, while those close to Harvey say he saw it as the team trying to see if he was actually at home and truly ill.
The two sides continue to tell different stories. Harvey says he texted Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen to report his severe headache between 3 and 4 p.m. The team contends that Warthen texted first, with Harvey only then informing the Mets of his illness. Harvey then failed to send follow-up texts — he claims he fell asleep.
Both sides agree that Harvey did not inform the Mets of his absence until after 3 p.m., which is the cutoff for doing so. A fine was warranted, though Harvey obviously does not agree with the suspension. The Mets, meanwhile, argued that this was the culmination of numerous slip-ups, and the team did not want to upset the clubhouse by giving Harvey special treatment. Harvey, it is said, feels “singled out” due to frustration over the team’s recent struggles and injuries. Mets sources dispute this.
Whatever happened, it’s quite clear that it went down badly in the clubhouse. The drama appears to be far from over.
