There's plenty to be excited about now with the Mets
Jonah Tong shows promise in his MLB debut as the Mets walloped the Marlins, while being aided by a new-found strength...
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets laid a beating on the Marlins to win 19-9 on a wild and historic night at Citi Field (box)
RHP Jonah Tong enjoyed a strong and electric MLB debut, allowing four runs - one earned - on six hits with no walks and six strikeouts across five innings full of promise and hope
RHP Ryan Helsley put his recent struggles behind him to record a scoreless sixth - allowing just one hit with no walks
The offense was unstoppable yet again, piling on 12 runs in the first two innings alone. The 19 total runs were the most the Mets have ever scored in a home game
New York hit six home runs on the night, including a pair from LF Brandon Nimmo, who finished with four RBIs and four runs scored
The Mets stayed red-hot with runners-in-scoring position, going 8-for-9 on Friday night
Manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed that RHP Jonah Tong will get another big league start as part of a six-man rotation
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Jonah Tong selected to the Major League roster
RHP Kevin Herget optioned to Triple-A following Thursday night’s game
Injury Updates 🏥
C Francisco Alvarez (fractured left pinky, torn UCL in right thumb) took batting practice on Friday, although there is no immediate timeline for his return
RHP Tylor Megill (elbow sprain) will make at least one more start in the minors next week before the Mets consider activating him
OF Jesse Winker (back discomfort) struckout in his three at-bats in his latest rehab outing for Low-A St. Lucie on Friday
CF Jose Siri (fractured tibia) came off the bench for Low-A St. Lucie on Friday, going 2-for-2 with a RBI and a run scored
Playoff Race 🏁
The Mets won on Friday but so did the Phillies, meaning that they are still five games behind Philadelphia for first place in the NL East.
However, the Mets have clinched the season series and the standings tiebreaker over the Phillies. As such, if they finish with identical records, the Mets would win the NL East.
Meanwhile, the Reds lost to the Cardinals on Friday, meaning that the Mets improved to a full five games ahead of Cincinnati for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Their magic number over the Reds is 23.
With San Diego also losing, the Mets are now just two games back of the Padres for the second Wild Card berth in the NL.
The Mets now have a 96.2% chance of making the 2025 playoffs, per FanGraphs:
Stats of the Day 📊
RHP Jonah Tong made history on Friday, joining Dwight Gooden as the only pitchers age 22 or younger to throw at least five innings and allow one earned run or fewer in their Major League debut for the Mets
The Mets scored a whopping 19 runs on Friday night - the most runs scored in a home game in franchise history.
Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Friday marked the fourth time in franchise history that the Mets scored five or more runs before recording their first out of the game. The other instances occurred on August 28, 1971 vs. Los Angeles-NL (6 runs), July 28, 1973 vs. Montreal and September 24, 2005. It was also the third time in franchise history the club has scored five runs through their first five batters of the game (also: 7/28/73 vs. MON and 9/24/05 at WAS)
Who’s Hot? 🥵
The Mets have suddenly become a monster with RISP - they are now hitting .379 with RISP in August - that leads the majors
3B Mark Vientos has now hit seven homers in his last 11 games - he’s also hitting .407/.467/.1.037/.1.504 with 11 RBIs over his last seven games
LF Brandon Nimmo is hitting .429/.458/.762/.1.220 with two homers and nine RBIs over his last six games
SS Francisco Lindor is hitting .404/.460/.544/.1.004 with five doubles, five walks, and six RBIs over his last 13 games
1B Pete Alonso is hitting .375/.412/.719/.1.131 with three homers, two doubles, and nine RBIs over his last seven games
C Luis Torrens is hitting .333/.412/.800/.1.212 with eight RBIs over his last four games
CF Tyrone Taylor is hitting .438/.526/.625/.1.151 with three doubles and five RBIs over his last six games
Play of the Game ⭐️
Want to know the perfect way to help a rookie pitcher settle into his MLB debut early?
Score a ton of runs from the get-go.
That’s exactly what the Mets did on Friday night to help Jonah Tong’s first career start in the bigs go as smoothly as possible.
This red-hot offense came out swinging, and Brandon Nimmo’s three-run blast in the bottom of the first blew the game wide open and gave the Mets a 5-0 lead right out of the gate.
Nimmo’s home run set the tenor for the rest of the night, with the lineup racing out to a 12-0 lead by the end of the second inning.
Down on the Farm 🌾
OF Carson Benge (No. 1 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
3B Jacob Reimer (No. 6 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-4, RBI, R, SB
RHP Will Watson (No. 11 prospect, Double-A): 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
SS Antonio Jimenez (No. 18 prospect, Single-A): 3-for-5, RBI, 2 R
C Daiverson Gutierrez (No. 19 prospect, Single-A): 2-for-4, 2 RBI
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (73-62) vs. Marlins (63-72)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: LHP David Peterson (8-5, 3.18 ERA) vs. RHP Edward Cabrera (7-7, 3.32 ERA)
When: 4:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: WPIX | MLBN (out-of-market only)
The future - and the present - looks bright in New York ✍️
Tom Seaver. Dwight Gooden. Matt Harvey. Jacob deGrom.
The New York Mets know a thing or two about producing elite and Hall of Fame-worthy pitchers.
Having exciting stud starters to root for is just part of the baseball tradition in Queens.
Mets fans are rightly proud of their team’s rich pitching heritage, and a star pitcher in orange and blue holds as much importance and prestige to Mets fans as a shortstop wearing pinstripes does to Yankees fans.
And it now looks like we’re standing on the precipice of a new dawn of hope and promise as it pertains to Mets pitching.
Now, before anyone has the temptation to punch their screens and accuse me of hyperbole and recency bias, I can promise you I am not getting too carried away too fast.
I can also promise you that I’m not even remotely comparing Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong to Mets pitching icons of the storied past.
Not yet, anyway.
What I am doing, however, is luxuriating in the moment. And I think it is perfectly fine for you to all do that too if you so wish.
After all, the air in Queens has just felt different ever since McLean burst onto the scene a couple of weeks ago. There is tangible excitement hovering over Citi Field.
That special feeling only heightened on Friday night in the wake of Tong’s electric Major League debut.
The rookie maybe wasn’t as dominant as McLean was in his first outing, but he still put on one hell of a show.
Those packed inside Citi Field gave their newest great hope a standing ovation as he made his way to the dugout from the bullpen, and the constant adulation only continued as Tong showcased his impressive mix of pitches, not to mention a lethal fastball that touched 95-96 mph.
Tong also showed a tremendous amount of mental fortitude on the mound. He had to battle through a lot of tough at-bats, while he was let down by his defense in an error-laden fifth inning. With Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso both committing errors, Tong’s pitch count was rising, but he had enough energy left to strike out Liam Hicks and secure his first Major League win.
The explosion of emotion from both Tong and the crowd was palpable. That moment meant the world to both the rookie and his newest set of believers.
The way in which Mets fans quickly attached themselves to Tong was reminiscent of how quickly both deGrom and Harvey stole the hearts of those who cheered for them.
Again, it is just one start, but Tong’s arrival has been anticipated by Mets fans for a while now, and the wait was more than worth it. Tong has the skill, the intangibles, and the makeup needed to become the next big pitching star in Queens.
And, boy, are Mets fans ready for that to happen.
Plus, Tong is already in rarified air. He joined the iconic Doc Gooden as the only Mets pitcher age 22 or younger to throw at least five innings and allow one earned run or fewer in their Major League debut for the Mets. Now, that’s some fine company. Furthermore, Tong and McLean became the first pair of rookie starters to win their debut in the same year in the 64-year history of this franchise.
That sure feels like the beginning of something special.
Just as McLean did in his debut - and in his two outings since - Tong delivered a true signature moment that offers plenty of hope and excitement for the future.
Not only have Tong and McLean flashed promising signs that they could contribute in October, but they have also teased the tantalizing potential of forming a potent one-two-punch at the front of the Mets rotation for years to come. That could quickly become a potential three-headed monster if Brandon Sproat is afforded the opportunity to show what he’s capable of at some point this year.
All in all, I don’t think Mets fans have had this much reason to be excited about pitching prospects since the days of deGrom and Harvey.
Citi Field was a truly special place to be on days when Harvey and deGrom were due to start. And, while still early, you couldn’t help but dream while watching Tong on Friday of having those kinds of feelings again if indeed both Tong and McLean can build on their promise and potential.
Of course, like McLean, Tong benefited from an offense that has suddenly put it all together. Scoring a franchise-record 19 runs at home will ensure that any outing on the mound is relatively stress-free.
But what makes this team even more exciting in the present is the fact that the Mets have turned into a formidable monster with RISP.
Having been undone by that once fatal flaw for most of the year, this offense has now turned that weakness into a considerable strength. Hitters up and down the lineup are making a habit of coming up with clutch hits night after night. They are also throwing the hammer down early, striking early and often to help ease the pressure on the starting pitcher. That could be key in October.
As a result, the Mets now lead all of baseball with a .379 batting average with runners in scoring position in the month of August.
If a red-hot, rejuvenated lineup can keep on hitting at that clip with RISP the rest of the way, then the prospects of a deep October run will only get brighter.
Having McLean and Tong as part of the rotation could also raise the ceiling of this team come playoff time.
And, looking at the bigger picture, the future could look incredibly bright for the Mets in both the short and long term thanks to a pair of pitching phenoms who have helped bring the fun back to Citi Field.
Around the League 🚩
The Red Sox released veteran and World Series champion RHP Walker Buehler on Friday
LHP Payton Tolle shined in his MLB debut for the Red Sox, striking out eight and allowing just two runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 4-2 loss to the Pirates
RHP Freddy Peralta tossed six scoreless innings as the Brewers beat the Blue Jays, 7-2 in a battle of the two winningest teams in baseball
SS Dansby Swanson led the way with two homers and six RBIs as the Cubs beat the Rockies, 11-7
Boy, what a difference scoring runs will do. If this start happens when this team was barely scoring the kid loses because the defense let him down. Lindor dropped an out at second. Literally just dropped the ball. It was a terrible play and Pete got ate up by a grounder where he should have had his body in front of. Both led to runs. His line of 4 runs (1 earned ) in 5 innings is what the Mets have been pretty much been getting all season. The Marlins fouled off 23 pitches. They had a plan to get him out of there and to the bullpen which might have worked if the Mets hadn’t put the game out of reach the first 2 innings. I can see the kid has talent and his night was disjointed by having to wait as the Mets sent 8 men to the plate in the first and 9 in the second. He had so much excitement he couldn’t even sit. His curve ball should be thrown even more in my opinion as it breaks like 5 feet. That was impressive. I’m not poo pooing his outing I’m just pointing out that it was almost a terrible experience for him for all the time he had between innings early in the game that made it a bit disjointed. He did show resolve when guys were on and shut down the marlins not allowing them to score. The errors were egregious and I hope Lindor and Pete apologized for them. He looks like he should be the bat boy in how young he is. He gonna be a good one. The Mets with McLean,Tong,Sproat,& Scott? If he comes back and is what he was before he got hurt? Oh Boy. That is a rotation. A bit right handed but Petersen slots in there nicely. Senga gets traded for someone at the deadline or during spring training. Same with Manaea. I’ll be watching Tong’s second start closely too. The future looks bright. So does the present. LGM
How can you not be excited about the future with McLean and Tong (and hopefully Sproat)? It was kind of crazy that the Mets' offensive explosion in the first 2 innings actually may have worked a bit against Tong, but he seemed to manage the situation well. Funny how remembering how to hit a fastball can turn things around! But now that pitching and hitting seem to be getting back to the right trajectory, they can't get sloppy with their defense.
What was with the decision to pitch Torrens in the 9th? It needlessly extended the game and put Torrens at risk. What if someone had lined one of his 50mph pitches right at him? Just an incredibly stupid decision IMO.