Collins says he'll second-guess Harvey decision 'for a long time'

When Matt Harvey talked Terry Collins into sending him out for the ninth inning of Game 5 on Sunday, it made for one of the most compelling moments of the postseason.

But after watching the Kansas City Royals rally for two runs in the inning en route to their second World Series title in franchise history, Collins' decision to stick with his starter could haunt him for years to come.

"I'm going to second-guess myself for a long time, but I truly believe you've got to support your players once in a while and that kind of heart and that kind of desire is hard to find," the New York Mets manager told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports after his team's season ended with a 7-2 loss. "I'd have taken him out and we’d allow the runs and it would have been the wrong decision anyway."

Collins, who replaced his ace with Jeurys Familia after the first two batters of the inning reached base, said it was impossible to say no Harvey after all the right-hander had been through this season.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

"I know he was throwing well, but one of the things I've tried to pride myself in here is really trust my players. It’s one of the things I’ve learned through the years of managing," Collins said. "This kid, who has had a tough year, he looked me in the eye and said, ‘I’ve got to have this game.' And for what he's been through and what he's trying to accomplish, I said 'you can go out there and get the job done.' It just didn’t happen."

Added Collins in the postgame presser: "Obviously I let my heart get in the way of my gut. I love my players. And I trust them. And so I said, 'Go get 'em out.'"

Harvey, who had thrown 102 pitches through eight brilliant innings, told reporters after the Mets' devastating loss that he doesn't regret lobbying Collins for another inning.

"Unfortunately," he said, "I couldn't finish what I started."