Tong sharp with 3 hitless relief innings in season debut for Mets
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MIAMI -- Jonah Tong sparkled in his season debut and Juan Soto continued to be red-hot at the plate with a long home run, but it was not enough in the Mets’ 2-1 loss to the Marlins at loanDepot park on Friday night.
The Mets have lost three of their past four games.
Soto gave the Mets a 1-0 lead with a towering home run in the first -- but that is all New York got off a Miami pitching staff that was led by starter Eury Pérez.
Pérez (3-6) went 6 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits. Both of those were to Soto.
Soto’s blast, which landed in the upper deck in right-center field, went a Statcast-projected 449 feet and came on a 99.8 mph pitch from Pérez -- the fastest pitch hit for a homer in the Majors this season.
Miami’s pitching was certainly helped by some fantastic defensive plays, with three potential extra-base hits taken away on two grabs by Jakob Marsee in center and one by Esteury Ruiz in left.
Tong, the Mets' No. 2 prospect who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, tossed three hitless innings of relief with two strikeouts and one walk while facing the minimum.