WASHINGTON — New York Mets manager Andy Green had some very pointed comments for Jonah Tong ahead of his final start of the season Saturday at Nationals Park: Show us you belong in the big leagues today, and then show up in spring training and show us again. The right-handed rookie tossed five innings in the Mets’ penultimate game of the year, allowing only one earned run, walking one, hitting ...

On Sept. 20, 2026, Jonah Tong of the New York Mets pitches in the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field in New York.

Evan Bernstein/Getty Images North America/TNS

WASHINGTON — New York Mets manager Andy Green had some very pointed comments for Jonah Tong ahead of his final start of the season Saturday at Nationals Park: Show us you belong in the big leagues today, and then show up in spring training and show us again.

The right-handed rookie tossed five innings in the Mets’ penultimate game of the year, allowing only one earned run, walking one, hitting one and striking out nine. The Mets defeated the Washington Nationals 7-1, and for the most part, Tong looked like he belonged.

“He was great. Really encouraged by him,” Green said. “I thought the changeup was back in the mix, thought the curveball was good, he won with fastballs at the top of the zone. That’s a really good version of him and a great win to end this season on.”

At this point, it doesn’t sound like the Mets are ready to commit to using him in the rotation to start the 2027 season. It’s impossible to ignore the uncertainty of the upcoming offseason and what that could mean for the club’s talented pitching prospects is yet to be seen, but when it comes to Tong, nothing is guaranteed, but there is still a belief that Tong can and will impact the rotation in the future.

“What does an organization desperately need to win a World Series? You need guys that are 6-7 starters that start the year in Triple-A that can come up and dominate,” Green said before the game. “You don’t win a World Series with only five starters. So, as an organization, you go out, you try to expand the group of starters you have, which pushes down people that feel like they’ve earned it.

“And his, in that case, like his desires don’t perfectly align with what our desires would be because he wants to be here.”

Tong wants to be in the big leagues, and it sounds like the Mets are looking to acquire starting pitchers this winter that would push Tong further down the depth chart, leaving him to start the season in Syracuse again.

“His job is to make it so freaking obvious to us that he deserves to be here that we can’t make those type of decisions when he competes in spring training,” Green said. “So he has a full understanding of what that landscape looks like, a full understanding of what makes sense for us, and the resolve to go prove that he belongs here. So we’ll get a look at that today.”

Tong threw 87 over five innings, getting swings and misses with his four-seam fastball. His changeup, an important pitch for him, was especially effective, and he mixed his cutter and curveball in often enough to keep a tough lineup off balance.

Overall, he was good, though not great, in limited big league action this season, finishing 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA over seven appearances (four starts). Overall, his numbers in the Major Leagues were better than in his five starts last season.

Tong understands the work that’s ahead of him, and he isn’t backing down.

“I think that’s one of those things that I think the moment’s just going to let you know,” he said. “I’m not going to put pressure on myself for that. I’m just gonna go out there and be myself. But yeah, I mean, I’m all about the challenge, and I know what I need to do.”

Ronny Mauricio hit two home runs Saturday, one from each side of the plate, and A.J. Ewing hit one. Carson Benge went 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored, and Juan Soto went 2 for 4 before being removed from the game in the top of the ninth after getting hit by a pitch on his right hand from former Mets lefty Richard Lovelady.

Soto has a contusion, but X-rays were negative for any breaks or fractures. The Mets are unsure if he will be able to play the final game of the season.

Left-hander Connelly Early opened for the Nationals, holding the Mets to one hit over three innings. The Mets took five runs (four earned) off right-hander Jake Irvin, and two off Lovelady in the ninth via Mauricio’s home run.

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