End of an Era

"Unfortunate news from Cincinnati, as Jonah Tong had to be recalled from Cooperstown and will have go through the formality of an actual career before his Hall of Fame induction. Tong surrendered three homers (including the first big-league shot for fellow rookie Sal Stewart) and walked four, though oddly, he gave up no other variety of hit. He also finished impressively, navigating the fifth and the sixth without further harm and ending his night by fanning Gavin Lux."

"This time, there was no barrage of friendly runs to get Tong over the rough spots: The Mets looked strangely out of sync all game, leaving 11 runners on base and grinding their offensive gears every time they had a chance to get back in the game. Throw in some less than stellar relief pitching from Ryne Stanek, who got mauled, and you had a 6-3 verdict that didn't feel that close."

"The Reds seemed to be on Tong's fastball - all three homers came off of it - to the point that I wonder if he was tipping the pitch. That got me musing that today there are no surprises about a new pitcher unless a team is unprepared: Scouting reports have never been more detailed, with endless video to scrutinize, and every team has an army of in-house boffins tasked with finding the slightest scrap of advantageous information."

Jonah Tong was recalled from Cooperstown and must still complete an actual major-league career before any Hall of Fame consideration. Tong allowed three homers, including Sal Stewart's first big-league shot, and issued four walks while giving up no other types of hits. He settled down late, navigating the fifth and sixth innings without further damage and striking out Gavin Lux. The Mets left 11 runners on base and failed to capitalize repeatedly. Reliever Ryne Stanek was hit hard, contributing to a 6-3 loss. Observers suspected Tong's fastball was being anticipated, and modern scouting with exhaustive video has reduced surprises for new pitchers.

Read at Faithandfearinflushing