Matt Harvey missed a 'mandatory' workout and Sandy Alderson is upset
The first New York Mets vs. Matt Harvey drama of the postseason is here, and it has nothing to do with his innings limit. Harvey missed a team workout on Tuesday, and some within the organization were not happy about it.
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Initial reports suggested the team workout was "voluntary," meaning this shouldn't really be a controversy. General manager Sandy Alderson spoke with the media shortly after that, however, and stressed that the workout was "mandatory."
Sandy Alderson corrects that #Mets workouts are "mandatory." Doesn't seem super thrilled that Matt Harvey was the only player not to show.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 6, 2015
Turns out, Harvey got caught in traffic on his way to the ballpark. He called manager Terry Collins to say he would be late, and Collins told him to just turn around and go home.
Harvey told TC he got caught in tunnel traffic. TC said turn around. Not neccesarily an unexcused absence.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) October 6, 2015
For what it's worth, Harvey took full ownership of his mistake.
Harvey: "Obviously today was not the greatest. The last thing I ever want to do is not be with my team. There's no excuse. I screwed up."
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 6, 2015
Given all the tension surrounding the Mets and Harvey in recent weeks, this isn't a good look for the 26-year-old pitcher. The innings limit debate has put Harvey in a tough situation, but his willingness to pitch despite possibly being advised to shut things down seemed to quite things for a few weeks.
[Related: We ranked all 25 possible World Series matchups.]
So much for that. Harvey now finds himself in the middle of another mess in New York. With the Mets on their biggest stage in some time, the last thing the team needs is another controversy involving their best player.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik