We’ve got a battle of 22-year-old phenoms on Friday night at Citi Field, as Jonah Tong and the Mets will square-off with Eury Perez and the Marlins. While we all know how impressive the latter can be at the MLB level, this will be Tong’s highly anticipated big league debut.
Can the rookie make a great first impression with the fans in New York? Let’s preview this divisional matchup with the help of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Marlins vs. Mets prediction, preview
Let’s begin with Jonah Tong, as you only make your MLB debut once. The former seventh-round pick has been a revelation so far in 2025, dominating Double-A to the tune of a 1.59 ERA and a 40.8% strikeout rate across 102.0 innings. Tong didn’t spend nearly as much time in Triple-A after a recent promotion, yet the Canadian right-hander made the most of the brief opportunity, tossing 11.2 scoreless innings in two appearances. While it’s currently unclear how much of a role Tong will have with the Mets after Friday evening, it certainly doesn’t seem like he has much left to prove in the minors.
The slightly funny thing about Tong debuting in this particular pitching matchup is that Eury Perez is only two months older than New York’s top prospect. Perez hasn’t been a prospect for some time now, not after a stunningly successful rookie campaign in 2023. However, Tommy John surgery cost the RHP all of 2024 and Perez has only really started to look like himself again since July. For 2025 as a whole, Perez has pitched to an amazing 2.91 xERA over 70.2 innings. He’s had even more success in his last 10 outings, posting a 2.63 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP to go along with a 26.9% strikeout rate. Tong might be the flavor of the week, but I’ll remind you to not overlook the presence of Perez. He’s a future All-Star without question.
It’ll be a difficult matchup for Miami’s right-hander, though. It was only a few weeks ago that nothing seemed to be going right for the Mets, yet across the past 14 days, the team owns the league’s best wRC+ (157) and wOBA (.391). Francisco Lindor has been leading the offensive charge in this span, slashing an impressive .424/.469/.644 with three home runs and five steals in his last 64 plate appearances. Mark Vientos has also been fantastic in the past two weeks, registering a team-high 218 wRC+. Vientos has one career at-bat against Perez back in 2023 and he took the RHP deep. Small sample, to be sure, yet worth pointing out.
Marlins vs. Mets pick, best bet
Best Bet: Marlins ML (+152)
Just feels like a lot of value with Eury Perez on the mound. Miami is 7-4 in Perez’s past 11 starts.
Strong Lean: Jonah Tong 7+ Strikeouts (+130)
Let’s have some fun. Tong owned a strikeout rate over 40% in Double-A and the Marlins’ lineup is one of the youngest in the league.
