NY Mets pay tribute to Jacob deGrom before he returns to Citi Field mound
As Jacob deGrom made his first start back at Citi Field since leaving the Mets, the club played a video tribute on Sept. 12, 2025.
NEW YORK — Carlos Mendoza’s message was simple to Jonah Tong heading into his fourth major league start of his career: Go out and attack.
It would have been understandable if the 22-year-old right-hander had been rattled after what had happened his previous time out. Start No. 3 was nightmare fuel for Tong, who stumbled through â…” innings with six earned runs allowed on four hits and three walks. The outing cast a cloudy forecast over Tong’s future in the rotation.
With another shot on Thursday afternoon against the hearty Padres lineup, Tong revealed the form that enabled him to soar to the major leagues after just two Triple A starts and lead the minor leagues in strikeouts before his call-up.
Tong struck out a career-high eight batters and allowed one run (no earned) on four hits without allowing a walk to lead the Mets to a 6-1 victory and to take the series on Thursday at Citi Field. He improved to 2-2 with the win.
“I’ve had outings like that in the past and even I remember last year when I was in High A, it just takes a day to let it flush and go right back to it,” Tong said. “I’m really grateful for the support I’ve had in the clubhouse, especially the vets and just hearing their input. Definitely gives you confidence, for sure.”
Tong came through in a big spot, allowing the Mets to build their advantage in the National League Wild Card race to two games over the Diamondbacks and Reds.
Jonah Tong’s impressive response
Tong was on the verge of tears when he had been asked to explain what had gone wrong against the Rangers.
One out might have help changed the narrative.
Tong’s response to his first real road block was a major test in his development — one he aced to offer some more confidence moving forward.
This time in the opening inning, there was a threat but Tong extinguished it. Luis Arraez knocked a one-out single and Manny Machado followed it up with a ball to the warning track in left field. But Brandon Nimmo was able to make a strong relay to Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil to throw Machado out at second base.
Tong struck out Jackson Merrill on a curveball to get through unscathed. He received some run support with a Pete Alonso’s four home run in as many games in the first inning.
“We’re talking about bouncing back from the last outing, but bouncing back from the first couple innings and then settling in nicely,” Carlos Mendoza said. “That’s kind of the guy we saw at the minor league level, pretty much the whole year. Getting swing and misses with the fastball at the top, the changeup, the curveball, attacking. It was pretty impressive.”
There were still a shade of some growing pains for Tong in the third inning, giving up a single to Fernando Tatis Jr. and then making an errant pickoff attempt and wild pitch to move him to third. The Padres equalized with an Arraez sacrifice fly.
But that was the last major concern for Tong, who plowed through the remainder of the third and through the fifth inning.
After leading with his changeup in his rocky outing, Tong was able to locate and elevate his fastball, picking up nine whiffs on the pitch. He deployed an almost even mix of curveballs and changeups. He finished his outing with eight straight outs including five strikeouts on his fastball.
“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,” said Nimmo, who supplied a game-changing three-run home run. “He did a great job today against a really tough lineup. I think it proves that he has a very bright future ahead of him.”
How Jonah Tong fits the rest of the way
The Mets continue to count on their three top pitching prospects — Tong, Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat — at the most critical part of the season.
There were questions after Tong’s third outing about whether he would make another start in the rotation. Now, with David Peterson continuing to struggle after giving up six earned runs in five innings on Wednesday, the case could be made that he’s a strong fit the rest of the way.
“Everything’s on the table right now and the meaning of every game,” Mendoza said. “The way we’re kind of like moving around guys and kind of putting together the whole puzzle here. Today, we were watching and I’m glad that he stepped up and gave us a change to win a baseball game.”
On Tuesday night, the Mets received a shot in the arm when their piggyback experiment with Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea went off without a hitch. The duo held the Padres to three earned runs on seven hits and one walk in the Mets’ win.
An off day Monday followed by Tuesday’s successful piggyback had the Mets bullpen well rested for the final two games of the series. The Mets initially intended to roll out that arrangement again, but they placed Manaea on the paternity list on Thursday afternoon.
“We gotta wait if he’s able to play catch and somehow stay on his normal routine and then for us to make a decision,” Mendoza said. “It’s still going to be a day-to-day type deal, but we got to make sure that before we make any decisions, he’s able to continue with his in-between starts routine.”
With nine games left to go, there does not appear to be a reason to interrupt what has been working for the Mets. Kodai Senga also struggled in his second appearance in Triple-A Syracuse, allowing four earned runs in 3â…” innings.
Brandon Sproat, who will start on Friday against the Nationals, is coming off six scoreless innings against the Rangers. Nolan McLean, Saturday’s starter, has been the Mets most dependable arm, posting a 4-1 record with a 1.66 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 40 strikeouts in his six starts since debuting on Aug. 16.
Each start is a chance for the Mets to move one step closer to the playoffs and for the pitchers to prove they belong.
“I’m gonna just be where my feet are, and I’m gonna let that stuff take care of itself,” Tong said.