Matt Harvey

He ranks ninth all-time in UNC history in strikeouts (263) and 10th in wins (22).

His father was a standout athlete at Groton, Connecticut's Fitch Senior High School and attended the University of Connecticut where he played both baseball (as a centerfielder) and football, even appearing in the 1972 College World Series.

After UConn, he eventually returned to Groton to coach his former high school baseball team.

Harvey grew up as a New York Yankees fan, especially admiring Paul O'Neill and Derek Jeter, whom he has described as a childhood idol of his.

At the beginning of every elementary school year, when asked to write about his life goals, Harvey would write that he wanted to play professional baseball.

At Fitch Senior High School, Harvey played both baseball (where he was coached by his dad) and basketball.

He was teammates with future Major League pitcher Jesse Hahn on both teams.

As a high school freshman, he was able on a few occasions to throw as fast as 90 mph. Harvey would often pitch complete games in every outing, as he recalled later, “a typical game for me... I would walk 5 or 6 but strike out 16 each game, and only allow a few hits.” Harvey also played summer baseball for numerous travel teams across the country, including the South Florida Bandits, the Midland Redskins, and the East Coast Grays.

As a high school senior, he was selected as a Rawlings First Team All-American and named to their Northeast All-Region First Team.

Matthew Edward Harvey (born March 27, 1989), nicknamed "the Dark Knight", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Baltimore Orioles.

Harvey played baseball and basketball at Fitch Senior High School in Groton, Connecticut, and continued his baseball career the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He was grouped with Madison Bumgarner and Rick Porcello as one of the best pitchers in the 2007 MLB draft and a likely first round pick.

Baseball America ranked him the best high school prospect in 2007.

Harvey spent the summers of 2008 and 2009 pitching for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Harvey was a key component of the Anglers’ 2008 bullpen, completing the season with a 0.83 ERA, the lowest on the team, pitching 21 2⁄3 innings and striking out 29 of 92 batters faced.

Harvey returned to Chatham in 2009 after a difficult sophomore year on the mound.

As Harvey explains, he had lost some of the mechanics and flexibility that had made him such a great pitcher throughout high school and the beginning of his college career.

Although his 2009 summer was not as impressive as the previous one, his time on Cape Cod helped him return to the basics and set him on the road to becoming the seventh overall draft pick in the 2010 first year player draft.

According to his pitching coach at UNC, Scott Forbes, Harvey returned from the 2009 Cape Cod League season with "a more professional approach."

The Mets selected Harvey in the 2010 MLB draft as the seventh overall pick.

Harvey was selected as the seventh overall pick by the New York Mets in the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Harvey was listed at 6' 4" and 210 lbs, batting and throwing right-handed.

However, he fell to the Los Angeles Angels in the third round with the 118th overall pick, likely due to his lack of command.

As the Angels offered only a $1 million signing bonus, Harvey took the advice of his advisors, Bill Caudill and Scott Boras, and opted to sign with the UNC Tar Heels instead.

Harvey attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in sports administration.

During his collegiate career, Harvey went 22–7 with 3.73 earned run average (ERA) in 238 2⁄3 innings pitched.

In 2011, Harvey's first professional season in the Mets minor-league system, he split time between the single-A St. Lucie Mets and the Double-A Binghamton Mets.

With St. Lucie in the Florida State League (FSL), he went 8–2 with a 2.37 ERA and recorded 92 strikeouts in 76 innings.

In his major league debut on July 26, 2012, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Harvey set a new club record with 11 strikeouts while earning his first career victory.

Harvey had a breakout season in 2013, being selected to play in the MLB All-Star Game.

Harvey then missed the entire 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery but returned in 2015 as his team won the National League pennant to advance to the World Series.

His career, once promising during his first two seasons, was derailed by ineffectiveness after additional injuries, including thoracic outlet syndrome and a stress fracture in the scapula.

After a disappointing start to the 2018 season, Harvey was traded to the Reds.

He signed with the Angels in 2019, but was released midway through the season after posting a 3–5 record with a 7.09 earned run average.

He signed with the Orioles for the 2021 season.

He has played for the Italy national baseball team.

Harvey was born in New London, Connecticut.

He is the only son and youngest of three children of Ed and Jackie Harvey, both teachers.

He is of Irish and Italian descent.

Harvey was raised in Mystic, Connecticut, with his two older sisters, Jessica and Jocelyn.