NEW YORK (AP) — A few years ago, Jonah Tong was an undersized teenager from Ontario, Canada, just hoping to find a place to play college ball.

North Dakota State and Maine — not exactly big league hotbeds — were his best bets at the time. ... Brrrr!

Now, he's about to make his highly anticipated MLB debut in the heat of a pennant race on center stage in New York City.

When the 22-year-old Tong takes the mound on Friday night for the New York Mets against Miami, it will culminate a rapid and extraordinary rise from seventh-round draft pick to one of baseball's best pitching prospects.

“It's incredible,” Tong said Thursday in the Mets' clubhouse. “It's been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid.”

After only two outings with Triple-A Syracuse, the Mets are promoting Tong to face the M

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