New York Mets

Mets' Collins discusses leaving Harvey in crucial Game 5 of World Series

Published Jan. 11, 2016 10:55 p.m. ET

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In an interview with MLB Network's "Terry Collins: A Baseball Life," the New York Mets manager discussed his decision to leave Matt Harvey in the crucial Game 5 of the World Series.

"I had my bad three days. You've got to move on," Collins said in the interview, as transcribed by the New York Daily News.

After tossing eight shutout innings, Collins told Harvey that he was done for the night -- to which Harvey emphatically denied. Collins sent him back out in the ninth inning and Harvey gave up a run, exited the game with a man on and the Royals went on to beat the Mets in 12 innings.

"I saw the passion in his eyes - 'I want this game,'" Collins said. "That's why I think he's great and that's what's going to make him great is that he wants to compete and he wants to compete on the biggest stage in the biggest moment, so I gave him that chance."

Harvey walked that leadoff hitter in the ninth inning, which is usually when a manager would remove a starter. Collins said he wasn't in that same line of thought.

"No. I'm not a big believer in, if you send the guy out there and the first guy gets on, you go get him," he noted. "If that's the case, you shouldn't have sent him out there to begin with. I just said, 'OK, we'll get the next guy, because he had pitched (Eric) Hosmer great the entire game.

"I still felt pretty good until he hit the ball over the left fielder's head."

You can see the interview here: