Exiled Harvey speaks

‘I REGRET MY MISTAKES’

Matt Harvey hadn’t been back in town for 24 hours and he was already blindsided by the litany of complaints against him from his nearly six seasons here.

All of them were dragged out and the scabs were ripped off old wounds that had been chronicled in the pages of the tabloids over the years. It was the perfect summary of his complicated relationship with New York and the Mets.

Returning to Citi Field for the first time since his tenure with the Mets ended in a mess with a trade to the Reds in May, Harvey spoke of his time here more like a relationship that went awry than a stop in his career.

Harvey still has wistful feelings for the good old days in Flushing and looks back at the mistakes he made with some regret.

The Mets and Matt Harvey are like a marriage gone wrong. Monday night, there was light applause from a small crowd as the club played a short tribute video before the game.

Harvey smiled and waved from the visitors’ dugout to the crowd that had once chanted his name.

“People make mistakes and I definitely made a lot of them,” Harvey said.”I think that goes with the emotions of coming back here. I do remember a lot of cheers and I obviously remember some boos. It was a really fun time. I absolutely loved being here and playing here.”

This relationship started with a blinding passion from 2012-15. The Mets and their fans fell in love with his talent and also loved his swagger.

At first, it was the perfect mix of a big personality and a big stage for the moment. He wore the hopes of the organization on his shoulders in 2013 when he started the All-Star Game at Citi Field and carried their years of frustration when he pitched in the elimination game of the 2015 World Series, his favorite memory.

“The highs definitely take things to a different level,” Harvey said of being the Mets’ ace. “Some of the chants that went on when I was here and the World Series game, obviously didn’t end the way we all wanted, but I really put everything out there and that was a lot of fun, something I will always remember.”

For Mets fans, however, there will be other memories.

The relationship hit the rocks through his two major injuries, and the bravado that the team and fans had admired began to rub them the wrong way. Frustrated by his physical limitations, Harvey acted up in the clubhouse and off the field.

He missed a workout before the 2015 World Series, he missed a game after reportedly going on a bender on the town after breaking up with a model and he was often difficult with the media.

Harvey said it was an emotional and sad time for him after being designated and traded.

“I think there was a lot of moments when I was injured that I really didn’t know if I was going to continue playing the game,” Harvey said.

Harvey would not get specific, but said he regrets how he handled things and indicated he has learned how to deal with frustration better.

“Now knowing what needs to be done when you have an injury to get back I think instead of being so frustrated with that and fighting that, fighting that I am injured and that it’s not an easy way back there were mistakes,” Harvey said.

The marriage ended in May when, after demoting him to the bullpen, the Mets asked him to go to the minors and he refused. After being designated for assignment he was dealt to the Reds for catcher Devin Mesoraco. Like most second marriages, the Reds have a completely different opinion of Harvey.

Manager Jim Riggleman and pitching coach Danny Darwin said there have been no problems with Harvey and his teammates have embraced him.

“He’s one of the best teammates I’ve had,” Jared Hughes said. “He’s the first guy on the field and the last off. He works his butt off and is always willing to help out.”

Monday, with Harvey in his Reds uniform waving to the tiny crowd at Citi Field, both sides tried to move on.