In a season of low expectations and sputtering offense, the New York Mets received good news today; the Dark Knight of Gotham and Mets ace Matt Harvey has been called upon by National League manager Bruce Bochy to start the 2013 All-Star Game.
Harvey made it clear that he would be thrilled to start the game, telling New York radio host Mike Francesa, "That would be a huge adrenaline rush. And it would be the start of hopefully something great, to have my first All-Star Game at home and hopefully get a chance to start it."
Harvey likely got the nod because of his hometown roots, but he's made an excellent case for himself no matter where the game is held. This season Harvey is 7-2, with a 2.35 ERA; he has racked up 147 strikeouts in 130 innings, and has a WHIP of 0.915.
Fellow Mets All-Star David Wright, who is the captain of the National League's Home Run Derby crew, heaped praise upon Harvey.
This guy is the most dominant pitcher, and I've played behind some great ones. He generates the buzz of Pedro Martinez or Johan Santana and has the stuff to go out there and absolutely dominate lineups. And he's done that."
Harvey spoke about his keys to success with Newsday, saying, "The biggest thing that's helped me with the swing-and- misses is being able to locate all four pitches. Throw all four pitches for a strike and also throw all four pitches for a ball. It's about the location."
Harvey's top competition for the starting nod was Dodger's left-handed hurler Clayton Kershaw, a fellow strikeout machine. Kershaw is 8-6 with a 1.98 ERA, 0.908 WHIP, with 139 strikeouts in 140 innings of work.
While Kershaw's numbers are slightly superior, Harvey starting in front of his own fans took precedence.
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