New York Mets legend David Wright believes the team wouldn't have reached the 2015 World Series if it wasn't for former teammate Matt Harvey pitching past his innings limit that season following 2014 Tommy John surgery.
"Without Matt - selfishly - I don't get a chance to play in a World Series, certainly," Wright said Friday on the "Metrospective" podcast. "He (had a decision to make in 2015) that honestly weighed heavily after coming off that Tommy John, which route he should go. Fortunately, ultimately, good for the organization, good for the team, good for me, he chose to pitch on and was absolutely dominant.
"There's a handful of seasons or pitchers that I can look back throughout my career and say, 'This guy was on a different level.' Matt Harvey, when he was right, was on a different level."
Harvey's agent, Scott Boras, didn't want the Mets ace to blow past his innings limit during the 2015 campaign, even though the club seemed destined to make the postseason. The right-hander ultimately ditched the plan.
"We were just bouncing the pros and cons against each other," Wright said. "What was the best direction not only for us as a team, but for him, personally. How he should go about it, this and that. He was just throwing ideas off me and I was trying to bounce them right back off of him. Because, obviously, it's a tough spot. ... Ultimately, he made a decision that was great for the city, great for the fan base, great for the organization."
The Mets ended up losing to the Kansas City Royals in five games.
Harvey, 31, hasn't been the same pitcher following the 2015 campaign. He owned a career 2.53 ERA in his first three seasons with New York but posted a 5.65 ERA from 2016 to 2019 while pitching for the Mets, Cincinnati Reds, and Los Angeles Angels.
