Terry Collins Chatted with Mike Francesa About Not Pulling Matt Harvey in the World Series, How Yoenis Cespedes is Like Barry Bonds, and Other Stuff Roger Cormier Follow Nov 18, 2017 · 7 min read

The former Mets manager also answered questions about Michael Conforto, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and David Wright.

Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

When it became clear Terry Collins’ tenure as Mets manager was coming to an end this season — and not by personal preference — fans eagerly anticipated Collins spilling more tea than the Sons of Liberty. Sadly, Collins took a front office job where it would be unprofessional to dish about who really left a present in Kevin Plawecki’s locker, but his talk with the “retiring” radio personality at WFAN Presents: Francesa, A Night to Remember at the Tilles Center Wednesday night was pretty interesting all the same.

For starters, Francesa transported his live audience back to this past Aug. 16, when Travis d’Arnaud had to play both second base and third base all night. The radio personality was chatting with Collins in the latter’s office and remembered Collins saying he was going to put Yoenis Cespedes at third. There is no doubt in my mind 1)Cespedes wanted Collins to do this, and 2) Collins was smart not to.

SNY/MLB

After Collins earned an applause break for recounting how the Mets won the pennant in 2015 on what would have been his parents’ 52nd wedding anniversary, Francesa decided to take us back to an even more sad day in franchise history. The following is a transcript. I bolded some parts for “well that is pretty darn interesting” emphasis.

Mike:

I remember I’m in the stands that night when Harvey is pitching that amazing game, and that moment is going to define the Mets and you forever, how -

Terry:

I know…

*Audience laughed*

Mike:

When you go back and relive it, have you relived it a million, I mean really right? There he is he’s begging you to go back out there, the whole building is yelling for him to go back out there they’re going crazy, how about that…tell me about what happened in the dugout during that whole scene because that was one of the most dramatic things I ever saw.

Terry:

Well he came in and first of all — the toughest part was he had an eight pitch 8th inning, and so he comes off the mound in the 8th inning and he walks in the dugout and I said as he walks by me I said, “That’s it.” He went over to grab his jacket and he stopped and came back and said, “You got to let me go out there. This is my night, this is my game! I’m fine, you got to let me have this game” and I said “Well you got the first two guys.” And certainly, it didn’t work out but um, you know…

Mike:

I would have done the same thing. You know listen: that guy he went out there and jumped on the mound and the only thing I think to this day is why he threw a 3–2 slider. As good as he was -

Terry:

3–2 slider. With a two run lead, yeah -

Mike:

Why was he throwing Cain a 3–2 slider? That’s the tough one, that’s the tough because he was so pumped up, you know? I can see it in front of me right now!

*Audience laughed. Terry changed the subject to fellow guest Bernie Williams briefly, then got back into it.*

Terry:

Matt was so good, his slider was so good, I know his only thought was ‘I’m striking this guy out’ and that’s why he threw it. I will tell you Mike I love confrontations: I love when you know a player is serious and he looks you in the eye and he’s got that fire burning in his eye that this is his time. You got to let him have it, you got to let him do it, because I asked a lot of those guys during the season, because you know a month earlier we had gone through a situation about pitch limits, pitch innings limits with him, and he got caught up and he was at 180 innings and then the next thing you know and that became, he got ripped about that and his teammates were down on him a little bit and I thought this was his night to rectify all that and I gave him that opportunity and it just didn’t work.

(Just in case you understandably blocked Game 5 of the 2015 World Series from memory: the 3–2 slider to leadoff hitter Lorenzo Cain resulted in a walk. Cain stole second, Eric Hosmer doubled him in, and Harvey finally departed.)

It was the first week of September 2015 when Harvey’s agent Scott Boras publicly feuded with the Mets over his client’s innings limit. It was also the first week of September 2015 when Matt Harvey wrote a piece in The Players’ Tribune titled “I Will Pitch in the Playoffs”. On Sept. 26, after some skipped turns in the rotation and abbreviated appearances, Harvey again memorably put the issue to rest when he stayed in to throw 97 pitches over 6.2 innings in the division clinching game against the Cincinnati Reds. Collins seemed to imply to Francesa that the controversy was still not forgotten by Harvey’s teammates — two playoff round victories and almost as many months later, and it informed his decision to leave Matthew Edward Harvey in to face the third and fourth hitters of the Kansas City Royals. To use the word “interesting” is to be lazy, but it’s also sometimes the only word that fits.

Francesa then asked Collins about specific players.

Mike:

Give me one thought on these guys for the fans: Cespedes.

Terry:

Well tool-for-tool, he’s as good as anybody in baseball.

Mike:

Hard to manage?

Terry:

Well he’s a different guy to manage.

Mike:

Quirky.

Terry:

He’s a quirky guy, he’s a different, you know -

Mike:

Runs down to first base to beat out an infield hit and then loafs in left-center field. I mean so, if you can figure it out? I don’t get it. That’s him.

*Terry laughed hard, as if he remembered halfway through his laughter about the time Cespedes said he hopes he can be managed by Bob Melvin again, who happened to be the opposing team’s manager that night.*

Terry:

I’m gonna tell you I have seen this guy hit like three ground balls in a game and run 4.8 [seconds] to first base -

Mike:

Like legit. Legit(?)

Terry:

And then all of a sudden in the 9th inning with the game on the line hit a ground ball to the shortstop and beat it out, but you know what I saw Barry Bonds do the same thing.

Mike:

He has the ability to be a great player.

Terry:

He has the ability to turn the league upside down if he wants to.

Mike:

Syndergaard.

Terry:

Um…next year when they mentioned those three guys that they did today for the Cy Young, he’s going to be one of those guys in that group.

*Audience approved.*

Mike:

deGrom.

Terry:

Jake deGrom is the old school baseball player in the new school era. He’s a competitor, he takes the baseball, doesn’t want to give it up. No excuses. Extremely accountable for everything, one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around.

Mike:

Conforto.

*three second silence* *some chuckles from the audience; I assume they are readers of our twitter because of this*

Terry:

I just hope he comes back from this injury.

Mike:

He’s got a chance to be really good?

Terry:

He’s got a chance to be great. What happened last year he went back to his old swing…

Mike:

Freaky injury.

Terry:

Unbelievable freaky injury but the surgery and that such and that…these guys are so strong Mike, that I’m just so worried that if he doesn’t take his time in rehabbing that shoulder that that joint loosens up again there could be problems.

Mike:

Ugh. Uh, and two that are a little tougher. Harvey. Can he get back to being Matt Harvey? That we saw early on? Will we ever see that Harvey again?

Terry:

I’m not sure he’ll ever see the velocity again. I think the injuries that he’s had have curtailed that but you know what, I saw Matt pitch great games and throw 94–95; he didn’t have to throw 98. If he gets the slider back which I think was the pitch that he was most affected by this year, if that returns in his repertoire, Matt Harvey will win some games for the Mets.

Mike:

And one that everybody is pulling for: David Wright. Does he have any chance to come back and play? You love David Wright.

Terry:

I love David Wright, he’s the most special kid I have ever been around. I think he’s got a long road back, a tough road back, but he’s so determined to put that uniform on again. Will he ever be the old David Wright? No one knows, but if anyone can pull through this it would be him.

By the way you can now prove to us you have good fundamentals by donating to our Patreon page.