Overview
- Tong, pitching for Syracuse on Saturday, worked six innings of one-hit ball with one unearned run, two walks, and six strikeouts against Lehigh Valley.
- He carried a no-hit bid into the sixth and retired 16 straight at one point, then ended his day by fanning Bryan De La Cruz to escape trouble.
- The outing lowered his ERA to 4.60 after seven starts and extended his run of at least six strikeouts to five straight games, giving him 44 on the year, which MLB Pipeline says is tied for the most in the minors.
- The start followed an April 26 turn that ended after 4.2 innings, making this his first six-inning appearance of 2026 and a needed step toward steadier length.
- Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called it encouraging and said the club will watch closely, keeping a potential call-up dependent on sustained command and performance after Tong struggled over five MLB starts in 2025.