Jonah Tong Closes the Door on Several Gatherings

After his “opener,” Jonah Tong wrapped up a few of the gatherings he had initiated.

Tong registered 17 cutters and missed the strike zone three times on 11 swings, setting a tone for a pitching staff that left 17 runners stranded on base.

In a recent game, he secured his first win of the season with three scoreless innings in a 4-2 victory over the Reds.

Interestingly, prior to his MLB debut last week, Tong hadn’t pitched out of the bullpen since Single-A back in 2024, according to Baseball Reference.

“I’ve worked hard throughout my career,” Tong explained. “My focus is on pitching. It doesn’t really matter when or where. I just want to help my team win and get them in the best position possible.”

Despite entering the second inning with a 1-0 lead, his control wobbled somewhat, leading to four walks and only 44 of his 76 pitches in the strike zone. He also allowed three hits.

“Sometimes those counts tend to stretch longer than I prefer,” Tong admitted. “There are definitely areas to improve on, but I’m pleased we managed to help the team get some shutouts.”

Nevertheless, he put two runners on base in the second inning and faced further challenges after an error led to an unearned run in the third, adding another in the fourth.

In a tight spot, he handed a two-on, two-out scenario to Tobias Meyers, and just needed one more pitch to escape the jam.

Manager Carlos Mendoza commented, “I thought he started off well by attacking the strike zone. That error changed the dynamics completely, leading to 20 extra pitches. He was feeling the fatigue towards the end, but he competed hard.”

Last season, Tong started 22 games in the minors, finishing with a challenging 7.74 ERA in his first five MLB games. After a tough start this year in Triple-A with a 5.68 ERA, he still received a promotion, stepping in from the bullpen to deliver three scoreless innings against the Marlins.

Mendoza noted that the strategy on Wednesday was more of a classic “opener” scenario, where Tong replaced Huascar Brazoban after just one inning for a tactical advantage.

“We’re going to rely on him,” Mendoza said. “We’ll keep experimenting, whether that means using him as an opener or a reliever. I have some downtime, so I’m sure we can find various ways to utilize him.”

Tong added, “The cutter felt good today. We’ll see how it develops. Once we hit our stride, we just keep pushing through. I feel like we eased up a bit toward the end.”