Speaking in the Mets clubhouse on Thursday afternoon, Jonah Tong described the awe-struck feeling he had meeting manager Carlos Mendoza at this year’s spring training in Port St. Lucie.
He was finally able to muster up the words “Hi, I’m Jonah, nice to meet you.”
Now, just a handful of months later, Tong is ready to properly introduce himself to Mets fans everywhere as he makes his major league debut on Friday night against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field.
Just 22 years old, Tong – ranked by SNY contributor Joe DeMayo as the top pitching prospect in the Mets organization, ahead of names like Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat – is ready to live out something he’s thought about for quite some time.
“It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid,” Tong said. “You always try to put yourself in the best possible chance to do that. If you were asking me at the beginning of the year if I ever thought this was going to happen, I would have probably told you exactly what I’ll tell you now. I’m just going to be where my feet are. I think everything else is going to take care of itself. I’m just forever grateful to be here for the opportunity.”
Originally a seventh-round pick of the Mets in 2022, Tong has quickly risen through the Mets system, and he's been almost unhittable at every step along the way. He began this season with Binghamton and simply overpowered Double-A hitters, pitching to a 1.59 ERA with 162 strikeouts in 102.0 innings.
And after two scoreless outings with Triple-A Syracuse, the Mets called the young right-hander up to the majors, where he’ll pitch alongside McLean, his former teammate in the minor league ranks.
“He’s done a heck of a job,” Tong said of McLean, who threw 8.0 scoreless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night and has had an incredibly smooth transition to the majors. “I was watching it last night trying to find somewhere to eat, and I was like ‘Yep, that’s Nolan.” He’s incredible, and I think I’m just going to go out there and be myself, and I have confidence that that’s going to be enough.”
While Tong is certainly hoping to follow in McLean’s footsteps, he’s not ready to start making any sweeping, big-picture predictions about his future in the Mets rotation, though many fans are already dreaming about the start of the next wave of dominant, young Mets starting pitchers.
Instead, Tong’s focus will be on Friday night, as a host of friends, family, former coaches, and 40,000+ Mets fans will watch him throw his first pitch in the major leagues.
“I’m just getting ready to start tomorrow,” Tong said, “and I think everything after that will take care of itself.”
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