Dark Knight in Dutchess: Mets' Matt Harvey draws fans to Fishkill in rehab start

FISHKILL – Matt Harvey arrived at Dutchess Stadium around 5 p.m. Saturday.

The first thing he noticed were the “Harvey 33” jerseys worn by fans, who swarmed him for autographs before he reached the clubhouse. The Mets’ ace was in town to make a rehab start, as he pitched for the Brooklyn Cyclones against the Hudson Valley Renegades in front of a sold out crowd.

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In fact, it was Harvey’s first-ever career rehab start. He had been sidelined with a stress injury in his shoulder since June 15, and he couldn’t have been more thrilled to be back on the mound, taking his first step back to the big leagues.

“It’s awesome,” Harvey said. “Pulling up I saw a lot of ‘Harvey’ jerseys, and that’s always good to see. I’m just happy to be back out there and working toward where I want to be.”

Before his starting pitcher got to the ballpark in Fishkill, Cyclones manager and former Mets’ infielder Edgardo Alfonzo sensed excitement and a buzz among those attending the game.

“I think it’s going to be good for the fans to see this guy live,” Alfonzo said.

Fans were treated to one inning from Harvey. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-hander faced four batters and threw 18 pitches over one inning, allowing one run on one hit. His fastest pitch topped out at 93 mph.

Harvey walked Renegades’ leadoff hitter Vidal Brujan, who subsequently stole second base. Brujan moved to third on a groundout by Carl Chester, then scored on a base hit through the right side off the bat of Taylor Walls.

An established major leaguer, Harvey pointed out that he didn’t try to think about facing minor league hitters. Rather, he made the focal point of his outing trying to find his rhythm.

“It’s still competition. You still have to go out and make pitches and do what you have to do,” Harvey said. “I wasn’t concentrating on (facing the Renegades) too much. I was trying to get through them and get the mechanics back down and pound the zone.” 

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Alfonzo’s intuition about the fans' excitement proved to be true. Harvey’s presence at Dutchess Stadium gave local Mets fans a reason to cheer, in an otherwise down season for the Cyclones’ Major League Baseball parent club.

Annette Sullivan of Beacon texted her husband, Kevin, when she heard Harvey would be pitching locally. When he got the news, he jumped at the chance to see one his favorite Mets up close and in-person.

“Do you have to ask? Let’s get tickets!” Kevin Sullivan said of his response to his wife. “I saw him pitch against the Yankees in his rookie year. It started raining after about six innings and they took him out. It’s great to see him here.”

Peter Buttitta of Hyde Park brought his sons, Colin and Sean, to the game. The family was on vacation in Alexandria, Virginia on Thursday when they received word that Harvey would be pitching at Dutchess Stadium.

Naturally, excitement set in and when they returned, they bought tickets to the game.

“When I first found out about it, I really wanted to go,” Colin Buttitta said. “I can’t believe he’s this close to us!”

Harvey made 13 starts before he was placed on the disabled list. He is 4-3 this year with a 5.25 earned run average in 70 1/3 innings pitched. He has 54 strikeouts, has walked 35 batters and has allowed 42 runs. Harvey last pitched on June 14 against the Cubs, allowing four runs on four hits in four innings.

The Mets entered play Saturday 52-61, 16 games out of first place in the National League Eastern Division standings.

Still, his appearance was enough to spark the excitement of the Mets fans in the mid-Hudson Valley.

“It’s been a waste of a Mets season,” Kevin Sullivan said. “Watching all these young (Mets pitchers) not being able to go more than five innings, this is a bright spot. Hopefully he’ll be Matt Harvey again.”

Peter Buttitta echoed the sentiments: “In a down season, this is a bright spot."

Harvey wasn’t the only attraction from the Mets in town, either.

Former Met Cliff Floyd was in attendance. He delivered a ceremonial first pitch and signed autographs for fans in the stadium concourse. Floyd played four seasons for the Mets, from 2003 to 2006.

A.J. Martelli: amartelli@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4836, Twitter: @AJM_PoJoSports