On a sunlit Thursday afternoon at Citi Field, Jonah Tong gave the New York Mets more than just five innings — he gave them hope. With the team’s postseason dreams dangling by a thread, the 22-year-old fireballer stepped onto the mound and made the San Diego Padres look overmatched, striking out eight batters, walking none, and surrendering just four hits and one unearned run.

It was the kind of performance that felt bigger than the box score, like a defibrillator jolt to a team teetering on the edge.

Tong, with his wiry frame and whiplash delivery, looks every bit the Tim Lincecum clone, and on this day, he pitched like it too. Each fastball crackled, each breaking ball bit. And perhaps most importantly, his poise radiated through every pitch — a rare thing for someone so new to the big

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