5 things NY Mets fans will want to know about Jonah Tong before his big league debut

The 2025 season for the New York Mets has mirrored their franchise's existence – a rocky one. It's been a mix of highs and lows, streaks and inconsistencies, and veteran stars and talented youth. The Mets announced that the latest talented youth to get the call to the bigs is Jonah Tong. The highly anticipated righty has been dominating the minors, and now he's getting his shot to do the same in the big leagues tonight.

As the game approaches, we eagerly await the most anticipated Mets pitching debut since Matt Harvey. In the meantime, we'll provide you with the run-down on who Jonah Tong is, what makes him different, and why you should be excited.

1. The "Canadian Cannon"

The kid wouldn't be a Met if he hadn't joined the big league roster with a unique monicker. After all, it wasn't too long since the Mets boasted two young pitching prospects named "The Dark Knight" and "Thor." There was also "Doctor K" for Dwight Gooden, Pete Alonso was (and still is) the "Polar Bear", and Ike Davis (what a shame) had the "I like Ike" phenomenon.

The nickname is warranted, given his rocket arm and his Canadian roots. He even puts maple syrup on his grilled cheese. Yeah, he's THAT Canadian.

2. Perfect game partner

Perfect games and no-hitters aren't what they used to be, given that they are often shared. But still – 6.2 perfect innings is 6.2 perfect innings. And that's precisely what Tong had in May, along with a staggering 13 strikeouts, as he and TJ Shook completed a game without allowing a single baserunner for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

3. Full Arsenal

Tong certainly doesn't rely on one or two strong pitches to get outs. He has a profile of pitches that have made scouts salivate. His fastball induces a 36.5% whiff rate, while the league average is usually around 21%. His breaking pitches are gross, with a sharp dropping curveball and an 85-mph short breaking slider.

His changeup is his coolest pitch. He uses a Vulcan-style grip, as opposed to a more standard circle grip. The ball is packed tight in between his middle and ring finger, like a soccer ball jammed between a pair of salad prongs. It appears ready to shoot out like a slingshot, then instead slowly tumbles out at exactly 10 mph below his fastball.

4. Strikeout machine

Tong had two utterly dominant starts within four weeks of each other earlier in the summer. In those two starts (11.2 innings), he fanned 24 batters. After the aforementioned perfect game, he put up 11 strikeouts in five no-hit innings a few weeks later. Get ready to watch frustrated batters shaking their heads as they walk back to the dugout.

This strike-out ability, his athletic delivery, and his diverse pitching arsenal have drawn comparisons that should make Mets fans grin from ear to ear. The man he's been favorable compared to is "Big Time Timmy Jim" (that would be the great Tim Lincecum, if you didn't know).

5. One-of-a-kind name and ethnic background

We're calling him Jonah Tong. His full name, however, is Jonah Reid Tin Chee Matthew Tong. It's a mouthful, and it's a mismatch of Western and Chinese names, a unique pairing. This is because of his multicultural background, with his mother being Canadian and his father being Chinese. He brings a beautiful blend of cultures to baseball that doesn't currently exist.

His diverse cultural background also parallels his professional identity. They are both unexpected, memorable, and one-of-a-kind. We'll see if the rest of his story follows in a similar path.