Harvey threw 20 balls from 60 feet and reportedly felt good afterwards.
New York Mets ace pitcher Matt Harvey threw from 60 feet 20 times on Saturday, the first time he has tossed a baseball since undergoing Tommy John surgery about four months ago, reports Marty Noble of MLB.com.
Harvey is still expected to miss all of the 2014 season after his offseason surgery, but is already taking the first steps back and should be fully healthy a year from now. The Mets are planning on him continuing a regimen that sees him throwing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
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Harvey's last game in 2013 came on Aug. 24, after which it was discovered that he had torn his UCL. For a brief period there had been questions about whether or not he would have surgery or simply try to rehab the injury. Eventually, he elected to have the procedure.
Before being shut down for the season, Harvey had likely the best chance of any National League pitcher to top Clayton Kershaw for the Cy Young award. Over 26 starts, he had a 2.27 ERA and 0.93 WHIP while striking out 191 batters over 178 innings.
Harvey, 24, is arguably the key player to the Mets moving forward. As he continues to rehab, the team will certainly be hoping to see him come back as strong as he was before the injury.