Mets fans haven’t lost faith in Matt Harvey, and they are going to prove it to him.
The 7 Line, the Mets’ fan group, arranged an impromptu Tuesday night trip to Washington to show support for the struggling right-hander. According to the group’s Instagram account, the response was overwhelming.
Before 400-plus Mets fanatics made travel plans, there was some question over whether Harvey even would get the start against the Nationals after giving up nine runs (six earned) in his start last Thursday, which was also against Washington. Harvey will face Stephen Strasburg after the Mets decimated the Nationals, 7-1, in the series opener.
“Obviously it’s frustrating being out there right now when you’re not doing well and not helping the team,” Harvey, who is 3-6 with a 5.77 ERA this season, told ESPN on Monday afternoon.
“As a teammate, your objective is to do everything you can to win games and help us succeed. And I wasn’t doing that. So, obviously, they gave me an option to be skipped or whatnot and really try to figure things out. For me, taking time off isn’t going to do anything. It’s finding it on the mound. I’m not a quitter. I’m not going to just quit and put the ball down. It’s a fight. It was good for me to do that.”