Making It All the Way Back

Almost from the moment he arrived in the majors, Matt Harvey staked his claim as the Mets best pitcher. That intangible combination of performance and personality elevated his into starts events -- something Met fans remember from the days of Doc Gooden and Tom Seaver. The charismatic Connecticut native was sidetracked midway through 2013 by Tommy John surgery, but battled back to make 2015's opening day roster. While there were ups and down during the season, there was no doubt he'd found his groove by the post-season, when he beat the Dodgers and Cubs and threw eight shutout innings against the Royals in World Series game 5 -- before convincing Terry Collins he deserved the chance to nail down the complete game and running out of gas three outs from victory.
No one doubts the determination of The Dark Knight. And Terry Collins certified that Thursday morning, by naming Harvey his opening night starter. And in a delicious matchup, the Mets begin 2016 against the World Champion Royals in prime time at Kauffman Stadium. You bet his engines will be firing at full blast, with the chance to get revenge against the team that ended the Mets dreams the last time they met.

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