By Gene Collier / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
That sharp and smart and instantaneous single Josh Harrison sent toward left field on a trolley wire to start the bottom of the first Saturday wasn’t terribly remarkable in and of itself, but theatrically it was a loud slap in the face in the opening seconds of Act I.
Thus the first pitch from New York Mets ace Matt Harvey in a much-anticipated, high-noon showdown with the Pirates’ A.J. Burnett (or high 4:06 p.m., at least) did not reach the catcher, and one out later Andrew McCutchen would scorch the first strike he saw into the bullpen for a two-run homer, and one inning after that Pedro Alvarez would rope the first pitch he saw to the back row of the right-field bleachers.