Carlos Mendoza is more than clear about what he is going to do with Jonah Tong after watching the young pitcher do a good job in the New York Mets’ 19-9 victory over the Marlins. Tong pitched five innings on the mound and will now be an official part of the rotation.
Mendoza confirmed that the plan is to use a six-man rotation, which will obviously include Tong. “It will be fluid,” the Mets manager said about the strategy before giving his new starter another opportunity.
He had four clean innings against Miami and, despite giving up four runs in the fifth inning, only one of those was earned, which is a very good sign for him. What Tong did against the Marlins obviously impressed many.
Tong’s Short Reaction
After his MLB debut with the Mets, Tong called the news that he will get another chance to be a starter “sweet.” He also said he’ll take it calmly, “taking one day at a time… it’s awesome,” said Tong, who faced a total of 23 batters and threw 97 pitches for 6 strikeouts.
The Fan Reaction
Reactions were mixed. Some Mets fans were more than happy about Tong’s debut and his inclusion in the six-man rotation by Mendoza. Meanwhile, others were a bit more skeptical about how good he could be, especially after a post on X where MLB compared him to Tim Lincecum.
Some felt it was disrespectful to compare him to Lincecum. “Not even close,” one fan commented, while others were more detailed in their description of what they saw, saying, “looks like Lincecum’s more wiry frame allows him to naturally be more flexible than Tong also I’m wondering if Tong will be able to change his neck angle to allow himself to maintain uninterrupted eye contact w/ the plate. I feel like that will improve his accuracy substantially.”