Almost Perfect

Posted on by metbaseball

Binghamton Mets starter Jonah Tong was one out shy of a perfect game when the team’s manager, Reid Brignac, pulled him from the game.☹️

One away! 1️⃣‼️

❓Several more pitches would have made that big a difference?🤷‍♂️ (Tong threw 13 pitches to get the first 2️⃣ outs in the final inning.)

Quote within article authored by Tim Britton

Joe DeMayo wrote this about Tong in his article, “Probably the biggest thing that has helped him is his openness to learn and continuously be challenged,” Mets pitching and performance integration coordinator Kyle Rogers told SNY.”

Jonah Tong / George Napolitano/Brooklyn Cyclones

Tong is the Mets 6th-ranked prospect and the third pitcher — behind Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean, per mlb.com.

Learn more about Tong in DeMayo’s article — “Jonah Tong discusses his journey from Canada to rising Mets pitching prospect.”

The Wildest Way to Win

Posted on by metbaseball

I didn’t intend on starting the Wild Pitches section with a headline-deserving event, but when it comes to baseball, sometimes the wildest moments—literally—are the most memorable.

You don’t often see a game end like the Phillies-Nationals matchup did on April 29, 2025. One moment it’s a nail-biter, fans holding their breath—and the next, without a bat touching the ball, it’s over. A wild pitch, a mad dash for home, and chaos. It’s not the cleanest way to win, but that’s baseball: unpredictable, sometimes messy, and occasionally, downright wild.

Here’s how one such game ended.

It was the bottom of the ninth at Citizens Bank Park, tied 6–6, with Bryson Stott standing on third, the potential winning run. Two outs, with a 2-0 count. Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan delivered a low, outside pitch that bounced away from the catcher. In a flash, Stott broke for home. He slid head-first into the plate, and just like that, the Phillies walked it off on a wild pitch. The dugout poured onto the field, the fans erupted, and the Nationals stood stunned.

Want to dig deeper into what happened?

You can watch the game-ending play and read the story about it in Paul Casella’s piece, “That was a crazy game’: Anatomy of a bonkers Phillies win.”

My favorite part of Casella’s article: “Stott came sprinting down the line and dived for home. His hand touched the plate, just as Nats reliever Kyle Finnegan’s foot came down directly on top of it, leading to a brief injury scare amid the jubilation.”

Stott was wearing gloves, but the one on his left hand came off during the slide.

Superstitious about 13? The Phillies won 7-6.

Idea generator: screwball.ai

Welcome to Wild Pitches

Posted on by metbaseball

Casual fans see the final score. Dedicated fans follow the standings. But the truly curious ask why a team’s record looks the way it does. In this new section of the blog, we go beyond the traditional stats you’ll find in the box score or hear repeated during game broadcasts. We dig into the subtle numbers, the patterns hiding in plain sight, crazy wins and losses, and the trends that hint at what’s really going on beneath a team’s win-loss column.

Take the Mets, for example. If it feels like they’ve burned through their bullpen this year, you’re not alone—but the numbers tell a more nuanced story. Through early May, they ranked 15th in total relief appearances across MLB. So what’s behind that gut feeling? Could it be that the Mets aren’t cycling through arms quickly, but instead leaning too heavily on the same few relievers each night? Maybe the eye test is noticing something the stats don’t show—until you dig a little deeper.

That’s exactly what this space is for. We’ll unpack the things that don’t get discussed on SportsCenter or in post-game pressers: bullpen usage quirks, pitch sequencing trends, unexpected lineup efficiencies, and more. If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “That seems weird…” while watching a game, this is the place where we’ll chase that hunch with data.