The "debate" about Matt Harvey's innings limit is over: There isn't one. It's become clear the New York Mets ace will keep pitching until his arm falls off or New York is eliminated from the playoffs—whichever comes first.
Harvey's agent, Scott Boras, has put a plan in place just in case the former scenario happens. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Boras purchased an insurance policy for Harvey's arm that will cover potential lost earnings if he suffers an injury. The policy is "two-tiered," according to Heyman, with one payout based on a loss of earnings and another covering a potential career-ending injury.
Harvey, 26, threw 7.2 innings of four-hit baseball Saturday night, helping lead the Mets to a 4-2 win over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. That win pushed him over the 200-innings mark for the season, a mark that may be concerning to Boras. The agent and Mets management were at odds last month over how many innings Harvey should throw in 2015 as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery.
Per Heyman, Boras said:
We were never about him not pitching in the postseason, and we never said Matt Harvey wasn't going to pitch in the playoffs. Any question revolved around the management of innings. There's an obligation -- I should say mandate -- to pitch. There's an obligation to the integrity of the game, to his teammates and the fans. At no time did the player or I ever say he wasn't going to pitch in the postseason.
I understand Matt Harvey has to pitch. The only way not to is to have the team take the ball away from him. And I don't think they're doing it anytime soon.
As it stands, there's no way Harvey can stop throwing now. The Mets are ahead, 2-0, in the NLCS and peaking at the perfect time. Their offense, after being so stagnant earlier in the regular season, is surging with clutch hits. Their rotation, led by Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, might be the best 1-2-3 punch remaining.
There is no easy out here. It's just smart of Boras to put a contingency plan in place in case the worst happens.
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