Pintaro Climbs from Kalispell to Queens: The Mets’ Most Unlikely Call-Up Since Dicky Lovelady

Let’s take a moment to honor Richard 'Dicky' Lovelady, a name that sounds more suited to a velvet lounge act in Vegas or the marquee of a ’70s Times Square adult theater than a Major League mound And yet, until today, Dicky Lovelady held the title of most unlikely Mets call-up of the season. That distinction now belongs to a fellow with his own made-for-TV backstory, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Dicky’s Mets career may have been short, but boy was it loud. Without a doubt, Dicky now holds the Mets record for most tweets about a pitcher who lasted less than 24 hours on the roster. His lone appearance came last night — 1.2 innings, 1 hit, 2 runs, 2 earned, 2 walks, 1 strikeout and an ERA of 16.20. That’s the kind of stat line that gets you designated for assignment before your name even makes it onto the back of the scoreboard graphic. Dicky had a vibe, sure — a little mystery, a little minor league moxie, a name you just couldn’t stop saying — but the numbers didn’t vibe with the Mets' front office, especially not in this never-ending bullpen merry-go-round.

So out goes Dicky, and in comes Jonathan Pintaro, a 27-year-old right-hander from Kalispell, Montana, by way of Shorter University (yes, that's a real place and not a punchline), the independent leagues, and what appears to be sheer willpower.

If you’ve ever doubted that baseball is the most romantic, unpredictable, and flat-out nutty game on Earth. Meet Jonathan Pintaro, the newest contestant on the Mets’ reality TV show, "Bullpen Survivor" outwit, outpitch, outlast, and maybe, just maybe, survive .He’s been issued No. 91, which is traditionally reserved for long-shot tryout guys in spring training or fictional players in a made-for-TV movie.

Not long ago, Pintaro was throwing pitches in the shadow of the Rockies for the Glacier Range Riders, a team that sounds like it should come with a ski lift pass. His ERA? A Mel Rojas Jr. kind of 6.95, which is fine if you’re rating high school cafeteria meatloaf, but less ideal when trying to reach The Show.

And yet, here he is. The Mets saw something they liked. Maybe it was the cutter scouts call “plus,” or the sinker, sweeper, changeup combo that adds to his deceptive delivery. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the story, because Pintaro’s reads like something out of a baseball novel: six years at a D-II school, unsigned and unwanted out of college, grinding through indie ball, working with former big leaguer Austin Nola to stop tipping pitches, and slowly reinventing himself into a strikeout artist with just enough command to make you believe.

Since signing with the Mets last June, Pintaro has moved through Brooklyn, Binghamton, and Syracuse faster than a Taco Bell fire sauce-triggered sprint to the bathroom on a sweltering 95-degree afternoon. He finished 2024 with a 2.68 ERA over 17 appearances across three levels, then picked up some seasoning in the Arizona Fall League. This year, he posted a 3.40 ERA in 11 starts at Double-A Binghamton and was reportedly days away from a Triple-A promotion when the big club called him up today.

He’s not a prototypical reliever, but he fits the Mets’ need for length and deception. Pintaro’s style, low-90s four-seamer, funky cutter, plus some secondaries that dance have scouts quietly excited. And if there’s one thing the Mets have taught us, it’s that “quietly excited” is code for “get ready, we’re trying anything.” His funky cutter might just be the best pitch name since Joey Lucchesi’s “Churve” and depending how it plays under the lights at Citi Field, it might earn its own merch table.

So tonight, keep an eye on the bullpen. The guy loosening up in No. 91 may not be a household name, but he’s earned this shot with grit, guts, and a cutter that cuts both ways.

From Dicky Lovelady to Jonathan Pintaro — the 2025 Mets bullpen continues to be baseball’s best reality show.