Less than two weeks ago, Jonah Tong was wearing a Toy Story-themed jersey in his final Double-A start with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. On Friday night in New York, making his MLB debut in the Mets’ black alternates, he earned a spot in a Major League starting rotation.

The buzz around the debut of a second top pitching prospect this month enthralled a sellout crowd of 42,112 at Citi Field. From his pregame walk from the Mets’ bullpen in right-center, through his six-pitch first inning and with each of his six strikeouts, the Mets’ faithful welcomed him as a savior to their club after stretches of poor pitching and a lethargic offense this summer.

He was every bit as advertised.

Tong threw five complete innings in his MLB debut, allowing four hits and one earned one. He struck out six.

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