Matt Harvey ‘held back tears,’ honored by reception from Mets fans

Matt Harvey explained his emotions after making his return to Citi Field as a member of the Orioles. 

Matt Harvey was once a hero in New York City known as The Dark Knight. Now he is on the Baltimore Orioles just trying to continue his MLB career.

Harvey returned to Citi Field on Wednesday and New York Mets fans gave him a loud and proper ovation. That ended up being the best part of his day as he allowed seven runs in 4.1 innings of work. But the day was bigger than the game itself, and Harvey shared his raw emotions following the loss.

Matt Harvey shares his emotions after a great ovation

Harvey noted how the afternoon reminded him of all his great memories during his time with the Mets. The right-hander debuted in 2012 and was an All-Star a year later. Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2014 season, but he made a strong return in 2015 as the Mets won the National League pennant.

Harvey’s career went downhill from there, and the Mets traded him to Cincinnati early in the 2018 season.

No one in Queens will ever forget the hype surrounding Harvey early in his career. 2015 was a year of destiny and Harvey returned from his surgery to lead the way. Adversity has been the one constant for him since then, so it was great to see him get such an ovation.

The veteran had his worst start of the season Wednesday afternoon. However, it meant more than all the rest and is something he will never forget.