If Matt Harvey truly is the Dark Knight, then the 2016 baseball season has been his Bane. The erstwhile Mets ace fell to 3–7 on Tuesday night after surrendering five runs to the Nationals in five innings, raising his ERA to an abysmal 6.08 and forcing manager Terry Collins to reaffirm Harvey’s spot in the rotation. It’s tempting to say that Harvey has hit rock bottom, but we thought the same thing when Mets fans booed him off the mound last week. There’s no telling when this downward spiral will end.
We know when it began, though. Most slumps stem from a series of poor choices, and Harvey’s is no exception. He’s made a number of questionable decisions over the past few years, and after a strong 2015, they’re finally catching up with him. Let’s review the five most egregious ones:
1. Threw 216 Innings in 2015
Harvey didn’t just ignore his doctor’s orders to stay under 185 innings last season — he made a mockery of them, setting a record for the most innings pitched a year after Tommy John surgery. Of course, Harvey isn’t solely to blame here; Mets fans and media members would have crucified him had he opted to skip the 2015 postseason to save his arm. Throwing all those innings would have been worth it if the Mets had bested the Royals in the World Series, but we all know how that turned out.
2. Split With Russian Supermodel Anne V
If Tom Brady’s career has taught us anything, it’s that domestic stability is a major key to athletic success. Thus it’s no surprise that Harvey’s superb 2013 campaign coincided with his relationship with Anne V. (Likewise, this principle explains his incredible 2015 season, during which he dated Polish model Ania Cywinska. Notably, Harvey and Cywinska called it quits just a few weeks before the Royals won the World Series.)
3. Appeared on ‘Watch What Happens Live’
Is this the most cringe-worthy segment in the history of television?
We should’ve realized that Harvey’s demise was imminent when this aired in January.
4. Defied the New York Media
After being in New York for five years, you’d think Harvey would know better than to evade reporters after a rough outing. Surely he understands that doing so only makes matters worse, right? WRONG.
Matt, you brought this atomic Mike Vaccaro hit piece on yourself.
5. Appropriated the Batman Logo
You should never anger Bruce Wayne with corny shit like this. It’s almost as dumb as flipping off a camera in a hospital bed or making your bladder infection public knowledge.