Mets prospect Jonah Tong 'grateful' to be with big-league club ahead of Friday's MLB debut

One of the most anticipated pitching debuts in recent Mets history started with a surprise.

Righthander Jonah Tong had thrown a bullpen session earlier this week in preparation for his third starting assignment with Triple-A Syracuse when manager Dick Scott asked him if he felt ready for the game on Friday.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Tong replied.

Then, as the 22-year-old recalled, Scott said, “Cool, because you’re going to be pitching against the Marlins at Citi Field.”

Dubbed “The Canadian Cannon” on T-shirts made by the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies’ booster club, Tong was the Mets’ seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft. His meteoric rise through the farm system culminates with Friday’s start. He will wear No. 21.

The Mets’ starting rotation has grown very inconsistent since a hot start to the season. The club decided it needed help and called up righthander Nolan McLean, who has pitched brilliantly, two weeks ago. Now it is calling on Tong.

“It’s exciting and he’s ready to go,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.

Tong began the season pitching for Binghamton and was 8-5 with a 1.59 ERA in 20 starts before being promoted to Syracuse. He was 2-0 in two Triple-A starts and didn’t allow a run in 11 2⁄3 innings.

Asked when he began to feel as if reaching the big leagues was a real possibility, Tong replied, “It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid. You always try to put yourself in the best possible chance to do that.

“If you’re asking me at the beginning of the year if I ever thought this was going to happen, I would probably have told you exactly what I’m going to tell you now: It’s going to be where my feet are [and] everything else is going to take care of itself and I’m just very grateful to be here.”

Tong, who grew up in Markham, Ontario, played high school baseball at Georgia Premier Academy because he thought his best route to a college baseball scholarship was through an American high school. He was going to accept a scholarship to North Dakota State but decided to sign with the Mets after the draft.

Tong first met Mendoza at spring training while serving as a ball boy for a Syracuse game. The big-league club was done for the day and Mendoza took a seat in the dugout while Tong was delivering balls to the umpire. Tong introduced himself when he returned.

“Face just went beet red — hands went incredibly sweaty,” Tong said of his reaction before introducing himself and chatting with the Mets’ manager for a bit.

They had their next conversation when he arrived at Citi Field.

“He’s a kid, but excited,” Mendoza said. “It was basically the same conversation I had with Nolan: be yourself, it’s the same game, compete and have fun. You earned it — you’re a big-leaguer. I’m proud of him . . . and he’s ready to go.”

Tong watched McLean pitch eight shutout innings in Wednesday’s win over the Phillies but isn’t looking at his fellow rookie’s performance during the last two weeks as some kind of standard to match.

“He’s incredible and I think I am just going to go out there and be myself,” Tong said. “I have confidence that’s going to be enough.”

The overhead arm slot in his delivery and the torque he creates to generate velocity from his 6-1, 180-pound frame have been likened to two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. He said he came to it on his own because “I needed to produce force because I am not the biggest guy.”

Seeing Lincecum’s delivery made him think “maybe this isn’t the worst thing for me because I think the guy’s a pretty good pitcher.”

Extra bases

Catcher Francisco Alvarez no longer is days away from rejoining the Mets after suffering a broken left pinkie when he was hit by a pitch Wednesday while on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse. Mendoza said the fracture is minor and the club hopes he can resume all baseball activities in a few days. Alvarez was making his way back from a sprained UCL in his right thumb . . . Tennis star Novak Djokovic came across the street from the USTA National Tennis Center, where the U.S. Open is being played, and chatted with several Mets before batting practice.