Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler Help Mets Get Last Laugh, For One Day At Least

If you were around a computer Tuesday afternoon you no doubt saw this GIF floating around, as Mets’ starter Matt Harvey lost his no-hit bid in the bottom of the seventh vs. the Braves in classic Mets fashion. If said play — Harvey fielding Jason Heyward’s dribbler up the first base line and throwing it away since Lucas Duda didn’t cover the bag — happened to 29 other big league clubs, yes, it’s still funny but since it’s the Mets it takes on a life of its own.

The Mets, as we’ve seen, are a free punchline in the sports world, or even the fictional world with “Mad Men” taking a swipe at the Amazins in its most recent episode. This was on top of Bob Costas finding time during his perch in the broadcast booth at the U.S. Open on Sunday to call the Mets walk-off celebration vs. the Cubs “Indication of the decline of Western Civilization.”

Turns out, at least on Tuesday, the Mets got some semblance of the last laugh. Harvey (6-1, 2.16) didn’t get a no-hitter but finished with a career-high 13 strikeouts, giving him him 115 in 104 innings this season in the win over the Braves. New York’s other highly-touted pitching prospect, Zack Wheeler, came up for his first big league start in the nightcap touching the high 90s on the radar gun en route to seven strikeouts over six scoreless innings to help the Mets sweep the day-night doubleheader against the first-place Braves.

Oh right, Harvey also gets to go home to a swimsuit model, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice.

The Mets, at 27-40, still aren’t going anywhere this season. At least with a pair of young arms there is some optimism at Citi Field, even if the duo doesn’t develop into the second-coming of Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. (Or Doc and Darryl, although these two weren’t both pitchers.)

Mets fans have been beaten down by mockery and their own self loathing for the last five years or so. Give them this and let them enjoy it. The next laughable moment from Queens probably won’t be too far away, anyway.

[Photo via Getty]