With a playoff berth on the line and their veteran starters struggling, the New York Mets embraced a midseason youth movement. The Mets turned to three rookie pitchers to help save the season, calling up Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat.

Tong got off to an auspicious start , winning his MLB debut with a strong performance. But the next two outings were less memorable. In his last start before Thursday’s game against the San Diego Padres, Tong squared off against two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom and the Texas Rangers. He got shelled for six runs in 0.2 innings.

Fortunately, the 22-year-old righty has experienced pros like Sean Manaea to help guide him . When Tong was upset about his performance against Texas, Manaea calmly pointed to deGrom in the opposing dugout

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