The New York Mets not only beat the San Diego Padres 6-1 on Thursday, but something happened that was more important than the game itself.
Pitching prospect Jonah Tong got back on track, picking up the win after allowing one run (zero earned) on four hits over five innings, with eight strikeouts and no walks. The 22-year-old struggled in his previous two appearances, allowing 10 earned runs over 6.2 frames.
Tong showed why he’s the Mets’ No. 2 pitching prospect according to MLB.com in his big-league debut on August 29, allowing one earned run with six strikeouts across five innings against the Miami Marlins. Thursday’s outing was a reminder of his potential after a couple of rocky outings, and New York star Pete Alonso sang the young hurler’s praises postgame, via SNY.
“He was poised the entire day. From right off the rip since I showed up at the yard, he was pretty locked in today,” he said. “Really stocked for him – those bounce-back outings are huge for his development. We talk about a kid that’s still 22 years old, obviously, he’s got sky-high potential.”
“You’re seeing him develop into a big-league professional right in front of your eyes. I know he’s really stoked to get back on the mound and make some adjustments,” he continued. “Really stoked for him, and he threw the ball excellently today for us. He was huge for the team, but really happy for him. Seeing him succeed and bounce back like that shows a lot of character.”
Mets Need Pitching Prospects to Shine
New York overhauled its rotation over the last few weeks, calling up Tong as well as No. 1 pitching prospect Nolan McLean and No. 3 pitching prospect Brandon Sproat to start in place of struggling veterans like Kodai Senga (6.18 ERA in August) and Sean Manaea (5.40 ERA this season). Additionally, fellow veterans Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), and Frankie Montas (elbow) are out for the season, which intensified the Mets’ need for pitching help.
Luckily for New York, McLean and Sproat have yet to falter. The former is 4-1 with a 1.19 ERA over six starts, while the latter is 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA over two quality starts. If the rookie trio performs well for the rest of the regular season, the Mets are more likely to hold on to the third and final NL wild card spot. They’re now two games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for that position with nine contests left.
Up next for New York is a home series against the Washington Nationals before hitting the road to face the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins to end the regular season.
