About six weeks ago, Jonah Tong was just an inexperienced pitcher for Double-A Binghamton, not even considering a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse.
Teammate and fellow prospect Jet Williams approached with a cheerful demeanor, taking his position in the infield and outfield behind Tong.
“There’s not much defense here,” Williams noted. “It’s nice to just chill a bit.”
The Mets organization had already encountered Tong’s infectious personality. On Thursday, they witnessed his impressive pitching skills that their minor leaguers recognized well.
After four starts, Tong finally made an impact, arriving just in time for a team gearing up for the postseason and auditioning candidates for the starting rotation.
He dominated a strong Padres lineup, throwing five effective innings and striking out eight in a convincing 6-1 win before 38,127 sun-kissed fans at Citi Field.
The Mets (79-74) clinched their first series win since taking two out of three against Detroit earlier this month, gaining momentum as they pulled ahead of the Diamondbacks.
Coming off a challenging stretch of eight straight losses, the Mets regrouped against another postseason contender.
This was bolstered by Pete Alonso, who might be playing his final homestand with the team. He hit another home run, marking four consecutive games with a blast.
The team scored in a pivotal rally, sending eight batters to the plate, allowing them to breathe easier when Brandon Nimmo connected on a 1-2 changeup from former Yankee Wandi Peralta, hitting a three-run homer.
The bullpen, featuring Tyler Rogers, Brooks Laurie, Gregory Soto, and Edwin Diaz, contributed four scoreless innings with just two hits allowed.
Smiles and high energy marked the atmosphere, but Tong faced struggles in his previous start, barely making it through the first inning against the Rangers. Emotions ran high afterward, and there were uncertainties about his future opportunities.
Yet those questions dissipated as Tong found himself back in the postseason conversation after becoming the first Mets pitcher under the age of 22 to strike out at least eight batters in a game since Noah Syndergaard in 2015.
He didn’t depend heavily on changeups that could falter; rather, he grew stronger as the game progressed, retiring the last eight batters he faced. In his final innings, he relied on fastballs straight down the middle, leaving players like Ryan O’Hearn and Jake Cronenworth puzzled.
The Padres swung and missed 27 times against his fastball, making contact only nine times.
His only blemish came in the third inning, where the Padres managed to score thanks to an error, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly that didn’t travel very far.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a solid single up the middle and advanced quickly to second when Tong misfired on a throw.
After that, Lewis Arez lifted a flyball to shallow left, where Nimmo was positioned.
A perfect throw could have caught Tatis at home, but Nimmo’s throw was low and didn’t provide enough height.
Nonetheless, just like Tong, Nimmo and the Mets are poised for a comeback.
