New York Mets Minor League Report: Jonah Tong's No-Hit Bid Strengthens Case For Callup

[Tom Gatto]

Jonah Tong made a strong closing argument for the New York Mets to recall him from the minors when they expand their roster to 28 players this week.

The right-hander fell one out short of throwing a seven-inning no-hitter Saturday for Syracuse against Lehigh Valley. Kameron Misner broke up the bid with a clean single to right field on a 2-1 pitch. Tong struck out the next batter, Carter Kieboom, for his eighth K of the game to complete a 6-0 shutout in the first game of a doubleheader.

He threw 88 pitches, 55 for strikes, in his first complete game of the year. He retired the first 12 IronPigs he faced before walking Otto Kemp to lead off the fifth. He walked Paul McIntosh in the sixth for the only other baserunner prior to Misner’s hit.

MLB.com reported that Tong threw his fastball 52.3 percent of the time, and the MiLB.com pitch-by-pitch showed that Tong was airing it out at the end. Against Kieboom, he threw heaters of 95.6, 97.0 and 96.1 mph before getting the strikeout with an 87.3 mph changeup.

Jonah Tong take a bow! Coming up one out away from a no-hitter, Jonah Tong delivered an INCREDIBLE performance! ?

7.0 IP | 0 R | 0 ER | 1 H | 8 K | 2 BB pic.twitter.com/dHgtJHCpOW

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) August 29, 2026

In a year of ups and downs, Tong -- the No. 1-ranked player in Grand Central Mets’ prospect Top 20 --- is back on the upswing after turning in his longest and, obviously, best outing of the season. His Triple-A ERA is still 4.54 after the shutout, but he has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of eight starts since the All-Star break. He struck out 49 and allowed 27 hits in 41 innings during that stretch.

The timing of his gem could not have been better. New York will go to 14 pitchers in two days. Tong could reprise the long relief role he filled when he was up in late May and early June, or he could move into the rotation if Robert Stock falters again on Monday at Tampa Bay. If the Mets do make a swap, Tong would be lined up to start a week from Sunday at home against the San Francisco Giants.

Elsewhere in the organization:

Syracuse completed a sweep with an 8-7 win in Game 2. Billy Amick’s leadoff home run in the seventh broke a 7-7 tie. Nick Morabito hit his 13th homer as part of a five-run second inning for the Mets.

Binghamton was swept in its doubleheader at Reading 5-3 and 3-0. RJ Gordon pitched a six-inning complete game in the Game 2 loss.

Brooklyn lost 7-3 at Hudson Valley. Antonio Jimenez hit a solo homer in the fourth to put the Cyclones a run behind at 4-3.

St. Lucie gave up 11 runs in the first four innings and lost 13-4 at Daytona. Infielders Reed Stallman and Jake Ogden pitched the final four innings, with Ogden allowing the game’s final two runs.

New York Mets Transactions

• New York Mets activated LF Juan Soto from the 10-day injured list.
• New York Mets optioned 1B Eric Wagaman to Syracuse Mets.

Syracuse Hitters Give Tong Plenty Of Support

Three home runs in the third inning were enough for Tong. With one out, Zack Short homered to left and D'Andre Smith followed with a homer to the same part of the park. After Mark Vientos singled and Ronny Mauricio flied out, MJ Melendez hit a two-run homer to left-center that put the Mets up 4-0.

Syracuse added a run in the fourth on a fielder's choice grounder by Smith with the bases loaded. Vientos closed the scoring with a solo homer to center in the seventh, capping a three-hit day.

Mark Vientos have a DAY! ??? pic.twitter.com/kv25mXR3Jd

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) August 29, 2026

Syracuse Batting

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
D'Andre Smith, CF	4	1	1	2	0	1
Mark Vientos, DH	4	2	3	1	0	0
Ronny Mauricio, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	1
MJ Melendez, LF	3	1	1	2	0	2
Billy Amick, 3B	3	0	0	0	0	1
Nick Lorusso, 1B	3	1	1	0	0	1
Hayden Senger, C	3	0	1	0	0	0
Jose Ramos, RF	3	0	0	0	0	1
Zack Short, SS	2	1	1	1	1	1
Totals	29	6	8	6	1	8

Syracuse Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Jonah Tong	7	1	0	0	2	8	0

Amick Gives Syracuse The Sweep

Syracuse won a back-and-forth nightcap thanks to Amick's opposite-field drive to right-center.

BILLY BOMB FOR THE LEAD! ? pic.twitter.com/gHnjOtAMiK

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) August 30, 2026

The IronPigs scored four in the first against Dan Hammer, who retired the leadoff man and then walked three straight to load the bases. A run scored on a passed ball by Shawn Ross, a two-run double followed, and Hammer was done after a third of an inning. Dylan Ross came on and gave up an RBI single, with the run charged to Hammer.

Syracuse answered with five in the second. Smith singled in Lorusso, and  Short doubled home two more runs to cut the gap to 4-3. Morabito then hit his two-run homer for a 5-4 lead.

Smith singled in another run in the third for a 6-4 lead, but Lehigh Valley answered with three in the fourth against Jack Weisenburger, who walked three and threw a run-scoring wild pitch in the inning. 

Ronny Mauricio's groundout in the sixth scored Short to tie the game 7-7. Amick broke the tie.

Brian Metoyer got the final five outs to record the win.

Syracuse Batting

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Nick Morabito, CF	3	1	1	2	0	1
Jose Ramos, LF	3	0	1	0	1	0
Ronny Mauricio, SS	4	0	0	1	0	0
MJ Melendez, DH	3	1	2	0	1	0
Billy Amick, 1B	4	1	1	1	0	0
Nick Lorusso, 3B	4	1	0	0	0	0
Shawn Ross, C	2	1	0	0	1	1
D'Andre Smith, RF	3	1	2	2	1	1
Zack Short, 2B	2	2	1	2	2	0
Totals	28	8	8	8	6	3

Syracuse Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Dan Hammer	1/3	1	4	4	3	0	0
Dylan Ross	2/3	1	0	0	0	0	0
Matt Turner	1	0	0	0	2	0	0
Jack Weisenburger	2	2	3	3	3	2	0
Ofreidy Gómez	1 1/3	1	0	0	1	0	0
Brian Metoyer	1 2/3	0	0	0	1	2	0

Binghamton Lets Lead Slips Away In Game 1

The Rumble Ponies were up 3-2 after three innings, but Reading scored three runs on one hit in the fourth to seize control. The rally started after starter Luke Gabrysh retired the first two batters. A walk, a single and a walk loaded the bases and knocked Gabrysh out of the game. Dakota Hawkins came on and threw a wild pitch that tied the score 3-3. He issued a walk to reload the bases and another walk to force in the go-ahead run, and then hit a batter to force in the third run of the inning.

Binghamton scored single runs in each of the first three innings. Chris Suero hit an RBI single in the first, Corey Collins homered in the second and Jefferson Rojas went deep in the third.

Binghamton Batting

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Mitch Voit, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	1
Marco Vargas, SS	3	1	0	0	1	2
Jefferson Rojas, DH	4	1	1	1	0	0
Jacob Reimer, 3B	3	0	2	0	1	0
Chris Suero, C	2	0	1	1	2	0
Eli Serrano III, RF	4	0	1	0	0	0
John Bay, CF	3	0	0	0	0	0
Corey Collins, 1B	2	1	1	1	1	0
Vincent Perozo, LF	2	0	1	0	1	1
Totals	27	3	7	3	6	4

Binghamton Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Luke Gabrysh	3 2/3	4	5	5	2	3	2
Dakota Hawkins	2 1/3	2	0	0	2	4	0

Gordon's Quality Start Wasted In Shutout Loss

Gordon went six innings, allowed three runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out six. He gave up a run-scoring double in the second that stood as the only offense until the sixth, when a two-run double provided Reading with insurance..

The Rumble Ponies had their chances with seven hits and four walks, but they left nine runners on base. Kevin Parada had three hits and Jamari Baylor added two. Binghamton batters struck out 11 times.

Binghamton Batting

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Jefferson Rojas, SS	4	0	1	0	0	1
Jacob Reimer, 3B	3	0	1	0	1	1
Chris Suero, DH	2	0	0	0	2	2
John Bay, CF	3	0	0	0	0	1
Corey Collins, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	2
Kevin Parada, C	3	0	3	0	0	0
JT Benson, RF	2	0	0	0	1	0
Jamari Baylor, 2B	3	0	2	0	0	1
Vincent Perozo, LF	2	0	0	0	0	2
Marco Vargas, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1
Totals	26	0	7	0	4	11

Binghamton Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
R.J. Gordon	6	7	3	3	2	6	0

First Inning Too Much For Brooklyn To Overcome

The Cyc;lones opened the scoring in the top of the first before falling behind for good. Elian Peña led off the game with a walk, stole second, moved to third on an infield hit by Trey Snyder, and scored on a groundout by Ronald Hernandez.

Hudson Valley answered in the bottom half against Brooklyn starter Daviel Hurtado. A run-scoring double and a two-run homer put Hudson Valley in front 3-1, and the Renegades never trailed after that.

Brooklyn cut the gap to 3-2 in the third as Colin Houck's groundout brought home Snyder, and after Hudson Valley got the run back in the bottom half with another homer, Antonio Jimenez homered in the fourth to make it 4-3.

The Cyclones' defense gifted Hudson Valley its fifth run in the fourth. Catcher Chase Meggers extended the inning when he committed a throwing error while trying to complete a strikeout. After a single put runners at the corners, Meggers committed a passed ball to bring home the runner from third.

Hudson Valley padded its lead in the fifth, again after two were out. A hit batsman and a pop-fly double made it 6-3 and knocked Hurtado out of the game. Parker Carlson gave up a run-scoring single to increase the deficit to 7-3,

Hurtado went 4 2/3 innings and was charged with seven runs (six earned) on nine hits, with no walks, seven strikeouts and two home runs allowed,

Brooklyn Batting

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Elian Peña, SS	4	1	0	0	1	0
Trey Snyder, CF	5	1	2	0	0	0
Ronald Hernandez, 1B	3	0	0	1	1	2
Yonatan Henriquez, LF	4	0	0	0	0	1
Colin Houck, DH	4	0	1	1	0	1
Chase Meggers, C	4	0	0	0	0	1
Antonio Jimenez, 3B	3	1	1	1	0	0
Eddinson Paulino, 2B	1	0	0	0	3	1
Heriberto Rincon, RF	4	0	1	0	0	2
Totals	32	3	5	3	5	8

Brooklyn Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Daviel Hurtado	4 2/3	9	7	6	0	7	2
Parker Carlson	1 1/3	1	0	0	0	2	0
Rafi Vazquez	2	1	0	0	0	3	0

St. Lucie Buried Early In Daytona

St. Lucie surrendered two runs in each of the first three innings and then a five-spot in the fourth. Five pitchers combined to get 12 outs, prompting the use of Stallman and Ogden to save the bullpen. Stallman worked two scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Ogden surrendered four hits to go with the two runs.

The Mets briefly tied the game 2-2 in the top of the second on Branny De Oleo's two-run homer. Julio Zayas homered in the sixth and Jeremy Rodriguez lifted a sacrifice fly in the eighth for St. Lucie's other runs.

St. Lucie Batting

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Boston Baro, 2B	4	0	0	0	1	1
Aiden Robbins, RF	4	0	0	0	1	0
Jack Toomey, LF	4	0	1	0	0	2
Julio Zayas, 1B	4	2	3	1	0	1
Yovanny Rodriguez, C	4	0	1	0	0	3
Jeremy Rodriguez, SS	2	1	0	1	1	0
Branny De Oleo, CF	3	1	2	2	1	0
Reed Stallman, P	2	0	0	0	1	1
Jake Ogden, P	1	0	0	0	0	0
Vladi Gomez, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	32	4	7	4	5	8

St. Lucie Pitching

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Jose Lopez	1/3	1	2	2	1	1	1
Jose Guevara	1 1/3	2	2	2	1	3	0
Miguel Mejias	1 1/3	1	2	1	2	1	0
Ryan Lambert	2/3	1	3	3	2	1	0
Zack Mack	1/3	3	2	2	0	1	0
Reed Stallman	2	2	0	0	0	0	0
Jake Ogden	2	4	2	2	0	0	0

Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Jonah Tong: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
2. Jack Wenninger: DNP
3. Elian Pena: 0-for-4, BB, SB
4. Mitch Voit: 0-for-4, K
5. Ryan Clifford: DNP
6. Nick Morabito: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, K
7. Jonathan Santucci: DNP
8. Carson Wiggins: DNP
9. Jacob Reimer: 3-for-6, 2 2B, 2 BB, K
10. Aiden Robbins: 0-for-4, BB
11. Randy Guzman: DNP
12. Wandy Asigen: DNP
13. Chris Suero: 1-for-4, RBI, 4 BB, 2 K
14. Jefferson Rojas: 2-for-8, HR, RBI
15. Will Watson: DNP
16. Shane Sdao: DNP
17. Eli Serrano III: 1-for-4
18. Antonio Jimenez: 1-for-3, HR, RBI
19. Emilien Pitre: DNP
20. Dylan Ross: 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

View full article