Former Mets star announces retirement from baseball

Former New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey announced his retirement from baseball on Friday, ending a nine-year career that was equal parts brilliance and frustration.

Harvey made the announcement on a social media post Friday morning. 

Wrote Harvey in part: "To the fans, most importantly the NY Mets fans: You made a dream come true for me. You are forever embedded in my heart. Goodbye, Baseball. And thank you." 

Harvey first burst onto the scene with the Mets during the 2012 season and looked like an immediate megastar. The days he took the mound were a major event in New York, and for the first two years of his career he looked like he was on track to be one of the game's all-time greats. But things would quickly unravel for him and the Mets.

He missed the 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery, and was able to return with one more dominant year in 2015.

But injuries and off-field issues driven by his lavish lifestyle in New York proved to be both problematic and a major distraction for his career, and he was never quite the same at any point after that 2015 season. 

Following his time with the Mets he also pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles. He last pitched in the majors during the 2021 season as a member of the Orioles, starting 28 games that year. 

He finishes his career with a 50-66 record and a 4.42 ERA. He was still hoping to get a chance in the Major Leagues again this season after pitching in the World Baseball Classic but that opportunity never presented itself.