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That will be the case again on Sunday as Harvey looks to build on his best outing of the season on Memorial Day against the Chicago White Sox.
This time, Harvey will take on the division rival Miami Marlins in the MLB Free Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports. You can stream the game at Yahoo's Sports Home, MLB index and video home beginning at 1:10 p.m. ET.
[Elsewhere: New York writer rips Derek Jeter's tribute to Muhammad Ali]
The reasons why Harvey's starts are events are easy to understand. Harvey was the seventh overall pick in 2010 amateur draft, which indicates the hype train was already in motion before his name was even called. Then add in the bright lights of New York. Then add a personality that lends itself to a media market hungry for front page news and page views. Then add in his fast rise to the big leagues, his early success, followed by an elbow injury and the healthy doses of drama that followed that.
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The Mets solution was to remain patient while focusing on his mechanics. That paid off in his outing against the White Sox. Harvey*pitched seven shutout innings in a 1-0 win,*allowing two singles and striking out six.*It was the first time Harvey reached the seventh inning this season, and he did so in an efficient 87 pitches.*
That's the breakthrough the Mets were looking for. Now we wait to see if Harvey has truly turned a corner, or if there are kinks left to be worked.
"I think this is a first step," Harvey said following Monday's outing. "Obviously what I did here today isn't going to mean anything if I don't continue it the next time I pitch and stay with what I've been working on. It's a work in progress. I'm just happy I was able to go out there and feel comfortable in my mechanics and get the job done."
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The recent references to mechanics should give Mets fans hope that the issue is fixable and is not related to Harvey's arm. The fact he registered his three hardest pitches of the season on Monday supports that too.*
Through 5 innings, Matt Harvey's three hardest pitches of the season (98.5, 98.0, 97.9) have all come today.
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) May 30, 2016
If his fastball is zipping again on Sunday, Mets fans will be relieved, and the rest of us will be in for a treat. Harvey will square off against Jose Fernandez, which based on reputation and hype is one of the best pitching matchups possible.— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) May 30, 2016
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