Despite being five games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL East lead, the New York Mets continue to push forward. Fresh off two series wins, including a sweep of the Phillies at Citi Field, the Mets hosted another division rival in the Miami Marlins. Although New York lost the series opener Thursday, they rebounded strongly with a 19-9 win over the Marlins on Friday. Mets starting pitcher Jonah Tong earned the win in his major league debut, and X (formerly Twitter) account OptaSTATS revealed just how rare Tong's debut was.
Jonah Tong of the @Mets is the second pitcher in the modern era to earn the win in his MLB debut while having his team score 19+ runs for the game.
The other was Earl Huckleberry for the Philadelphia A's against the White Sox on September 13, 1935 (19-7 final score). pic.twitter.com/qs3pvnEzkM
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 30, 2025
“Jonah Tong of the @Mets is the second pitcher in the modern era to earn the win in his MLB debut while having his team score 19+ runs for the game,” posted the sports stats focused page. “The other was Earl Huckleberry for the Philadelphia A's against the White Sox on September 13, 1935 (19-7 final score).”
Tong went five innings, striking out six Marlins while allowing four runs on the night, although only one was earned. Even though the Mets' defense hurt Tong just a bit in his debut, it was still an excellent showing from the 22-year-old. As he rose through New York's minor league system, there were questions whether or not the right-hander would make it to the big leagues this season. Now, after his debut, the question is this: could Tong and fellow starter Nolan McLean, another recently promoted top prospect, be a part of the Mets' postseason rotation?
Mets seeing remarkable progression from young starters
As the Mets look to make a return trip to the NL Championship Series, it's clear that there's still work to do. With the MLB trade deadline come and gone, the promotion of top prospects like McLean and Tong might be the best way to boost a veteran roster. At the moment, with the rookies in the rotation, it looks like New York is going with a six-man group. Although rare, it should help the Mets give their starters a lighter workload as they chase down a playoff spot.
While Tong wowed the baseball world on Friday, McLean has made a bigger impact to this point. The 24-year-old is 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA so far, with Wednesday night's win over the Phillies his latest and best gem. It's also possible that the highly regarded Brandon Sproat, the last of New York's top pitching prospects at Triple-A, could see some time at Citi Field as well. Can the rookies help lift the Mets past an NLCS hump and into the World Series?
