Tong, Clifford Sweep Eastern League Weekly Awards

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EL Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Tong, Clifford Sweep Eastern League Weekly Awards

May 12, 2025 - Eastern League (EL)
Binghamton Rumble Ponies News Release


BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - The Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Double-A Affiliate of the New York Mets, announced Monday that RHP Jonah Tong has been named the Eastern League (EL) Pitcher of the Week and 1B Ryan Clifford has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for May 6- May 11.

Tong wins his second EL weekly award on the heels of pitching six and two thirds perfect innings to headline the first perfect game in the franchise's 33-year history. Tong, who ranks as the Mets No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline, retired all 20 batters he faced along with a career-high 13 strikeouts in the Rumble Ponies 6-0 win Saturday over Reading at Mirabito Stadium in the second game of a doubleheader. RHP TJ Shook completed the perfect game striking out Hendry Mendez swinging for the final out.

Making it even more special, Tong achieved the momentous feat with his parents, Karen and Alex, in attendance Saturday as part of Mother's Day weekend.

Tong's 51 strikeouts this season lead all of Double-A and puts him in a tie for the fifth-most in Minor League Baseball. He also sports a .162 BAA, the fifth-lowest in Double-A. Tong now has a 2.57 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over six starts this season with the Rumble Ponies.

It was also the first perfect game for a full-season minor-league affiliate since 2017.

Clifford, the Mets No. 4 ranked prospect, had a torrid series against Reading this past week, hitting .474 (9-for-19) with three home runs, nine RBIs, five runs scored, and a 1.500 OPS over five games. Clifford homered in back-to-back games, a two-run blast on Wednesday and a game-tying three-run homer on Thursday, propelling the Rumble Ponies to come from behind victories. Clifford's six home runs for the season is tied for fourth-most in the Eastern League.

Tong wowed fans at Mirabito Stadium last season in his Double-A debut on September 5, throwing six no-hit innings with no walks and nine strikeouts against Somerset. In that game, the 21-year-old right-hander retired the first 17 batters he faced. The only baserunner that reached during his outing was via an error with two outs in the sixth inning. That performance also earned Tong EL Pitcher of the Week recognition.

The Markham, Ontario, Canada native was drafted by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Georgia Premier Academy in Statesboro, Georgia.

Clifford, 21, an 11th round pick by the Houston Astros in 2022 out of Pro5 Academy in Apex, North Carolina, joined the Mets organization with Drew Gilbert in August 2023 as part of the trade-deadline deal that sent Justin Verlander to Houston.

Tong and Clifford are the first Binghamton players this season to receive an EL weekly award.

The Rumble Ponies (18-13) open a seven-game series against the Hartford Yard Goats at Dunkin Park on Tuesday night. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. and pregame coverage gets underway at 6:55 p.m. on the WNBF Rumble Ponies Radio Network.

Check out the Binghamton Rumble Ponies Statistics



Eastern League Stories from May 12, 2025


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