'I'm going to dedicate that to my mom': Tong pens perfect game at Double-A

For 99 pitches on Saturday, Jonah Tong was nothing short of perfect.

In Game 2 of Double-A Binghamton’s doubleheader, the Mets’ No. 6 prospect carved through Reading’s lineup, setting down all 20 batters he faced and handling the lion’s share of the Rumble Ponies’ first perfect game in franchise history -- the first in full-season affiliate baseball since Sept. 1, 2017.

Tong traversed 6 2/3 perfect innings, racking up a career-high 13 punchouts and 17 whiffs before manager Reid Brignac went to the bullpen with one out left in the contest. Right-hander TJ Shook -- one of Tong’s two roommates -- took the baton from the 21-year-old and fanned the only batter he faced, securing history and the 6-0 win for the Mets affiliate at Mirabito Stadium.

“It's funny, because after I finished the sixth inning, I looked back [at the scoreboard] and I’m like ‘86 pitches, OK,’” said Tong who eclipsed 90 pitches for the first time this season in the outing. “Then I looked at [Brignac] and he said, ‘Jonah, don't even say a word. You're still good to go.’”

It took Tong 13 pitches to retire the next two batters, ending his night.

“When he came up [to the mound], I'm like, ‘One pitch, one pitch,’ just trying to get my best sell,” said Tong.

Unfortunately for Tong, Brignac’s hands were tied.

“If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't have done it the other way either,” Tong said.

Right out of the gate, the Canada native looked dominant on the mound. Tong struck out the side in the first frame and rattled off two more apiece in the second and third. The 13 punchouts that he accumulated in the outing raised his season total to a Double-A-leading 51 K’s -- second in all the Minor Leagues to only the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski (MLB No. 94) with 54.

His bread-and-butter pitch in the outing -- and his career so far -- was his four-seamer. As discussed in his MLB Pipeline Pitching Lab last season, Tong throws from an over-the-top arm slot similar to Tim Lincecum, creating a “ride cut” movement with his heater.

“I don't really understand how it does its thing, but I just know it's always been my go-to and I just have a lot of conviction trust behind it,” Tong said.

Double-digit strikeout performances are nothing new to the 2022 seventh-round pick. The start marked his second such game this season and sixth of his career. Tong sports a 16.4 K/9 in 2025 -- for more context on that mark, the MLB leader is MacKenzie Gore with a 13.3 K/9.

All told, Tong has a 2.57 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and .162 BAA across six starts this year.

In a Minor League season that has already featured eight no-hitters, Tong and Shook upped the ante. Tong also gave massive props to catcher Matt O'Neill, who conducted the masterpiece from behind the dish.

“Couldn’t have had a better day, especially before Mother's Day,” Tong said. “I'm going to dedicate that to my mom.”