FREDERICK, MD – 2022 Frederick Keys right-handed pitcher Jonah Tong added himself to a distinct list Tuesday after being the fourth Keys MLB Draft League player to get called up to a major league roster following \word he would join the New York Mets this coming Friday. According to Mets Manager Carlos Mendonza, he will serve as the team’s starting pitcher for Friday’s contest against the Miami Marlins at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field.
Tong, who played for the Keys in the first half in 2022, received the call from New York after leading the Minor Leagues in strikeouts for this season at 169. He spent time with both the Double-A affiliate Binghamton Rumble Ponies and the Triple-A affiliate Syracuse Mets before moving to the Major Leagues.
Most of his time spent this season has come with the Rumble Ponies, where he compiled an 8-5 record and a 1.59 ERA throughout 20 starts, finishing with 162 strikeouts across only 102 innings pitched. The No. 4 rated Mets prospect allowed only 44 walks before being called up to Syracuse where in 11.2 scoreless innings he recorded 17 strikeouts.
Over the course of the 2024 campaign, Tong spent time with both the Low-A affiliate St. Lucie Mets and the High-A affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones in addition to a brief stint with Binghamton. Throughout his second summer in professional baseball, Tong made 25 starts in 23 appearances combined between the three teams and totaled a 3.03 ERA in 113 innings and racked up 160 strikeouts with 110 of those coming with the Cyclones later in 2024.
The Markham, Canada native began his professional career in 2023 with the Mets organization after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft. In the 2023 campaign, he threw for both the Mets Rookie Ball team in the Florida Complex League and with the St. Lucie Mets and pitched a combined 10 games while making eight starts across 21 innings pitched.
During his time in the Key City and prior to being drafted, Tong saw action in four games and made three starts, all while amassing 14 punchouts across 11.2 innings in the first half with Frederick.
The Keys’s next home game takes place on Thursday against the Trenton Thunder with first pitch set for 7 p.m. at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. Thursday’s game is Ft. Detrick Night presented by En-Net Services meaning that all Ft. Detrick personnel (active and civilian) will receive a $2 general admissions ticket by presenting their government ID at the box office.
