The New York Mets have remained in the National League Wild Card picture thanks in large part to the showings that their young arms have turned in. This has not been lost on outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who praised starting pitcher Jonah Tong after the team’s 6-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday.
Nimmo specifically credited Tong’s character. The young righty struggled in his last start against the Texas Rangers and did not make it out of the first inning. He pitched with more resolve against the Padres on Thursday, surrendering just one unearned run and striking out eight batters across five innings.
“That shows a lot of character from him,” Nimmo told SNY. “I couldn’t be more proud.”
Tong now owns a 2-2 record and a 5.94 ERA over his first four starts with the Mets. He threw his fastball 67 percent of the time against San Diego and was also able to utilize a number of curveballs and changeups. The 22-year-old looked much more comfortable on the bump.
“Coming back from that last outing that didn’t go the way that he would have hoped, I think it shows a lot of maturity from him at such a young age to be able to bounce back and double down on what he does well and go and execute it,” Nimmo told MLB.com. “He did a great job today against a really tough lineup. I think it proves that he has a really bright future ahead of him.”
The Mets are 79-74 on the season and hold the National League’s final Wild Card spot. It remains to be seen if Tong will be considered an October option for New York.
