With a playoff berth on the line and their veteran starters struggling, the New York Mets embraced a midseason youth movement. The Mets turned to three rookie pitchers to help save the season, calling up Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat.
Tong got off to an auspicious start, winning his MLB debut with a strong performance. But the next two outings were less memorable. In his last start before Thursday’s game against the San Diego Padres, Tong squared off against two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom and the Texas Rangers. He got shelled for six runs in 0.2 innings.
Fortunately, the 22-year-old righty has experienced pros like Sean Manaea to help guide him. When Tong was upset about his performance against Texas, Manaea calmly pointed to deGrom in the opposing dugout and offered reassurance. “He's gone through that as well. Just keep doing what you're doing,” Manaea said, per Steve Gelbs via SNY Mets.
Jonah Tong bounces back with strong outing vs. Padres
The veteran’s reality check seems to have made an impression. Tong bounced back with a big time start against the Padres on Thursday. The first-year hurler allowed just one unearned run on four hits and no walks while striking out eight in five innings of work. Tong improved to 2-2 on the season after the Mets’ 6-1 win over San Diego.
The trio of McLean, Tong and Sproat made franchise history in September, becoming the first Mets pitchers to start three consecutive games despite each having four or fewer pro appearances at the time.
However, the results have been mixed. The rookie hurlers have pitched well for the most part. But New York has gone 6-5 in the 11 games the group has started. The team is now 7-5 after Tong’s effort against the Padres.
The Mets needed some sort of spark as the team was faltering despite a talented roster. Even with the young blood in the rotation, New York continued to struggle. The Mets entered Thursday’s game with a 5-10 record in September.
The team had lost eight straight games before snapping the skid earlier this week. But the Mets had lost nine of the last 11 matchups prior to beating San Diego.
Tong’s bounce-back performance is a great sign both short and long term for the team. While the Philadelphia Phillies already clinched the division, the Mets are still clinging to the final Wild Card berth.
