Jonah Tong's Early Collapse Sparks Mets' Seventh Straight Loss, 8-3 to Rangers
Tong is pulled in the first inning after allowing six runs, Jeff McNeil is ejected and New York's late-season slide deepens with 14 games remaining
Jonah Tong was removed after a six-run first inning and the New York Mets fell 8-3 to the Texas Rangers on Friday night at Citi Field, extending a losing streak to seven games and deepening the club's late-season slide.
Tong, 22, lasted just 19 minutes and recorded two outs before manager Carlos Mendoza summoned Huascar Brazobán. Tong threw 40 pitches and issued two walks as part of a first-inning outburst that produced six runs for the Rangers. The attendance was listed at 41,040.
The rally began after Jake Burger's flyout left Tong one out from escaping the inning. The next five Rangers batters reached safely, producing an RBI single by Josh Jung, an RBI single by Alejandro Osuna, a Jonah Heim walk, a two-run single by Cody Freeman and a two-run double down the left-field line by Michael Helman.
Tong, making his third career big-league start, had been a fan favorite earlier in the night but drew boos as he left the mound. Of his first 19 pitches, the Rangers swung only once; the sequence included two walks and a strikeout. Brazobán replaced Tong and finished the frame.
Defensive miscues and on-field frustration followed. Brazobán was late covering first on a grounder fielded by Pete Alonso. Alonso's throw sailed into the Mets' dugout for an error, and Brazobán responded with a glare toward Alonso as the play concluded.
The game turned more chaotic in the fourth when Jeff McNeil was ejected. McNeil took a called third strike on a full count and, after whacking his bat and leaping toward first, shouted toward home-plate umpire Scott Barry and was immediately tossed. McNeil's reaction came after a full-count at-bat in which he thought the pitch to his knees was ball four.
Texas' Jacob deGrom, making a return to Queens with the Rangers, threw seven innings and allowed three runs. DeGrom's outing, combined with the Mets' early collapse, left New York unable to recover at the plate. The Mets scored three runs but could not overcome the early deficit.
The loss left the Mets 76-72. As of Friday night the club held a one-game lead in the wild-card chase and awaited late results elsewhere, but its stretch of poor play has made postseason positioning precarious. New York was among baseball's best teams in mid-June and, as recently as Sept. 2, held a five-game wild-card lead. Since June 13 the Mets are 31-48.
Mendoza made the early mound visit at about 7:30 p.m. after Tong's meltdown — approximately 19 minutes after Tong's first pitch at 7:11 p.m. — and the fan reaction shifted from cheers to audible disapproval by the time the right-hander left the game.
The opener of the Mets' final homestand turned to a rout early and underscored a broader slide that has seen New York lose seven straight games. With 14 regular-season games remaining, the Mets face a critical final stretch in which they must halt the skid to preserve postseason hopes.
Manager comments after the game focused on immediate concerns: the team must limit early innings like the one that ended Tong's night, tighten defensive execution and keep composure at the plate and on the bases. The Mets will open a series against the Rangers on Saturday with the first base of the division and wild-card races tightening across the National League.
