In his first public comments since being handed a three-game suspension by the club, New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey apologized for what transpired this weekend.
"First off, as I just did with my teammates and all the coaches, I apologized for my actions and I do apologize for my actions," Harvey said in a brief opening statement Tuesday. "Obviously I'm extremely embarrassed by my actions."
Harvey was a no-show for Saturday's game after saying he was suffering from a migraine. When he arrived at the stadium Sunday for what would have been his turn in the rotation, Harvey was told he was suspended by the club for three games, retroactive to Saturday.
According to the reports, Harvey's absence was noted Saturday afternoon and personnel were sent to his Manhattan apartment around 10 p.m. ET.
On Tuesday, with his suspension over, Harvey owned up to what he did ahead of missing Saturday's game.
"Yes I was out on Friday night, past curfew. I did play golf Saturday morning and I put myself in a bad place to be ready to show up for a ballgame," Harvey said. "It is my responsibility and I take full blame for that."
Harvey, who has had off-the-field issues before, was asked why the Mets and fans should trust him this time.
"People make mistakes, and there are things I have realized the last couple days ... and one of those I should be doing is putting myself in a better place to perform physically," Harvey responded.
Harvey (2-2, 5.14 ERA) says he wants to get past this episode. He is expected to return to the rotation for Friday's game at Milwaukee.
"I'm looking forward to getting everything back on track and helping this organization moving forward," Harvey said. "They have my word on that."
After Harvey spoke in the clubhouse, his teammates and Mets manager Terry Collins seemed ready to accept his apology and move forward.
"There's no reason why I wouldn't,'' said outfielder Curtis Granderson. "It was genuine. It was heartfelt. He definitely thought it out and knew what he wanted to say. I think guys have spoken to him even before he said something today, and guys will continue to talk to him after today.''
Collins said he hopes events of the past few days might be a wakeup call to help Harvey go in the right direction and make baseball his top priority.
"He admitted that,'' Collins said. "That's why I told him I thought the best thing he could do was walk in here today and face (the media) and his teammates and get that over with, so he can now focus on what he's got to do. And that's get ready to pitch on Friday.''
Collins also revealed that former Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon, who's now with the Atlanta Braves, reached out to Harvey with a text message in recent days. When asked if the text was supportive of Harvey or more challenging in tone, Collins replied, "Both.''
"He's a special guy,'' Collins said of Colon.
Initial reports said Harvey planned to file a grievance with the Players Association in response to his three-game suspension, but Harvey was non-committal on the topic Tuesday.
"That's the last thing in the last three days I've thought about,'' he said. "I've been thinking about the team more than anything. If it happens later down the road, it is not on my mind (now). I've apologized for what I've done. My job is to move forward, and do everything I can to help this team and organization get back on track.''
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