Jonathan Pintaro's long road to big leagues ends with unexpected call-up to Mets

Jonathan Pintaro was pitching for the independent Glacier Range Riders in Montana just last season. He was starting for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies in the Mets’ system just last Thursday.

And there he was in the Mets’ clubhouse before Wednesday night’s game against Atlanta at Citi Field, standing by his locker with “Pintaro” and “91” on a white pinstriped jersey hanging behind him. He was chatting with bullpen coach Jose Rosado.

Then a player came over to say hi to the new guy.

“This is Juan Soto,” Rosado said to Pintaro on the first day of his major-league life.

The Mets’ bullpen shuttle was at work again on day No. 9 in a stretch of 13 straight without an off day. The relief corps was going through a stretch of general ineffectiveness, much like the entire team, which had dropped 10 of its previous 11. The starters hadn’t been providing much length all season, putting an added load on the bullpen.

So the Mets have been cycling through relief arms, making roster moves virtually every day for more than a week.

“I remember my first day addressing the team in spring training: ‘A lot of guys that are not even here in this room are going to impact [for us],’ ” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “So it’s on us to make those guys feel welcome.”

Enter Pintaro, up from Syracuse. He hadn’t pitched in a game yet with that team after learning he was being called up to Triple A Monday night. Whether the 6-2, 235-pound righty was going to be here with the Mets for only one game or for longer, he finally made it at age 27.

Mendoza brought him in for the ninth with a six-run lead. Pintaro was jittery and just so-so. He retired two batters, including a swinging strikeout against Nick Allen, and he got the ball as a souvenir. But Pintaro also allowed two runs on a single by Ronald Acuna Jr. in the Mets’ 7-3 win.

And yet Pintaro was thrilled.

“It was amazing,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited to be here and just grateful for the opportunity I got today.

“It was definitely a lot of nerves and faced some good hitters out there. I think what I was not able to do was just command the zone. And I think that’s what I’ve got to work on more.”

Pintaro called his week so far a “crazy ride.”

He was driven to Syracuse Tuesday morning, then got on the team bus to Rochester.

He found out Tuesday night he was bound for Queens and first thought it was a joke.

Brandon Waddell was recalled with him to serve as the lone lefty in the bullpen because lefties Richard Lovelady and Jose Castillo were designated for assignment.

But Pintaro has had the most interesting journey.

The Alabama native pitched for Division II Shorter University in Rome, Georgia, then didn’t get drafted, then signed in 2023 with Glacier in the Pioneer League. The Mets signed him last June and used him mostly as a starter in the minors.

“It’s been unreal,” Pintaro said. “I mean, it’s been a dream come true. I did six years of college and then I was like, All right. Nothing happened. So I went to indy ball in Montana. I was like, I’ll give it one or two more years; see how it goes. That second year, it happened.

“There was a mix of emotions. I called my family and we were all crying because I finally got signed.”

Last season, he pitched for High-A Brooklyn, Binghamton and Syracuse. This season, he started 11 times for the Rumble Ponies and went 0-2 with a 3.40 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings.

“It’ll be a little bit different,” Pintaro said of relieving. “ . . . But I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

Mendoza called it “a big jump” from Double A. But he was enthused.

“Pretty cool story, right?” Mendoza said. “ . . . Credit to him, obviously, because it’s not easy what he did.

“He’s a kid that continues to get people out. He’s got like a funky delivery. He’s got a combination of a sinker and cutter . . . Look, with the way we’re at bullpen-wise, he’s a guy that can give us 75 to 80 pitches if we need to.”

That was said before the game. After the game, Mendoza said, “He’s going to continue to help us win baseball games in the future.”

So what did Soto say to Pintaro?

“He just said they’re here for me,” Pintaro said, “and we’re here to win.”

Notes & quotes: Mark Vientos (hamstring) played third and went 2-for-2 with a walk in his sixth rehab game for Syracuse. He will rejoin the Mets Thursday. Mendoza said, “Now we’ve got to get with the trainers, talk to him and see if he needs an off day after playing back to back or if he’s ready to go.”