While one top Mets pitching prospect made a stellar debut in Queens on Saturday, another did so up in Syracuse.
Jonah Tong, who was called up to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday, was nothing short of dominant in his first appearance during Saturday’s 5-0 win over the Red Wings, the Nationals Triple-A affiliate.
Tong, 22, threw 5 ²/₃ shutout innings, allowing just three hits along with nine strikeouts and two walks.
The right-hander — who is the No. 2 Mets pitching prospect, according to MLB Pipeline — posted a dominant 1.59 ERA with Double-A Binghamton and struck out 162 across 20 starts.
Tong — whom the Mets drafted in the seventh round in 2022 and is considered a step behind pitching prospects Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean — told The Post earlier this month that he does not worry about when he will get called up to the big leagues.
“That’s not up to me. I [understand] it all,” Tong told The Post’s Mark Sanchez. “Just going to be where my feet are. … It’s easy when you think of it that way, when you just control your controllables.”
Wings on Aug. 16, 2025. @SyracuseMets / X
The Markham, Ontario, native has seen a massive improvement compared to his rough start across Rookie and Low-A ball two seasons ago when he posted a combined 6.00 ERA through 21 innings.
“I think I’ve gotten stronger,” Tong said. “I’ve gotten mentally stronger as well. We’ve tweaked some pitches here and there. … But I honestly think just getting more experience and dealing with some adversity along the way has just helped me put myself in this position.”
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Earlier on Saturday, McLean had an impressive debut for the Mets, throwing 5 ¹/₃ innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits with eight strikeouts and four walks.
McLean, who is the No. 1 Mets pitching prospect, was called up to the majors after posting a 2.45 ERA across Double and Triple-A this season.