Saturday, July 20, 2019

Angels DFA Pitcher Matt Harvey

ANAHEIM (CBSLA)  — The Angels announced Friday that they were DFA’ing pitcher Matt Harvey.

The once-dominant pitcher who earned the nickname “The Dark Knight” when he played for the New York Mets had several rough starts for the Angels.

The hurler’s ERA was approaching 8.

Just three years ago, the 30-year-old was the toast of New York — he was on magazine covers, talk shows, and appeared in the ESPN Body Issue.

Another pop culture highlight was taking a Jimmy Fallon “Tonight Show” camera crew out onto New York streets and asking unsuspecting fans what they “thought” of Matt Harvey. The bit was hilarious, because fans who said they loved him, didn’t know he was holding the microphone.

His rise and fall and rise again was dramatic.

After the Mets lost to the Royals in the 2016 World Series some fans soured on him and he didn’t help his case any by showing up late on one occasion and missing another game entirely, allegedly from partying the night before.

New York gossip writers became obsessed with his love life and the models he was often seen with around town.

He was derailed by injuries before and after he made a splash in New York. During his first full season — 2013 — he was compared to the game’s best after only a few starts. By mid-season he turned enough heads in baseball to earn the start for the National League All-Star game.

A year later, he had to undergo Tommy John surgery forcing him to miss the entire 2014 season. A year later, he seemed to rebound and regain the form that made him a media sensation. Injury struck again in 2016 when he underwent thoraic outlet syndrome surgery — which requires having ribs removed to relieve shoulder pain.

He pitched for the Reds in 2018 after the Mets traded him — after he refused a demotion to the minors. Harvey pitched well enough for the Reds that the Angels paid him $11 million guaranteed to join their rotation this season.

For more on Matt Harvey’s stats, click here.

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