NEW YORK -- The Mets ' projections for the 2025 season did not include asking a 22-year-old prospect to bounce back from a disastrous start and defeat a postseason-bound club in the middle of a heated wild-card race. But that's where the Mets, attempting to avoid an historic collapse with a $340 million roster, found themselves Thursday against the San Diego Padres .

They needed Jonah Tong , a baby-faced right-hander making his fourth career start, to forget about not surviving the first inning against the Texas Rangers last week and to give them a chance to win. And Tong responded with the best performance of his nascent major league career, holding the Padres to four hits and one unearned run over five innings in the Mets' 6-1 victory at Citi Field.

The Mets won two of three ga

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