Bartolo Colon

At 51 years old, Bartolo Colon has this physical status:

Bartolo Colón (born May 24, 1973), shortened to "Big Sexy," is a Dominican-American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.

He appeared in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians (1997–2002), Montreal Expos (1999–2009), The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2005–2013), and Texas Rangers (2018). Colón played in four MLB All-Star Games: for the Indians (1998, Angels (2005), Athletics (2013), and Mets (2016).

In 2005, he captured the American League Cy Young Award with the Angels, when he led the American League in victories. Colón, 42, was the first MLB player to reach his first home run in the 2016 season.

Colón, the former MLB player and the last active Major Leaguer who competed for the Montreal Expos at age 45, was the oldest living MLB player and the last active Major Leaguer.

He holds the most career victories by a Latin American-born pitcher with the departure of Rangers teammate Adrián Beltré, he was the last active MLB player to play in the 1990s.

Early life

Colón grew up in the Dominican Republic's town of Altamira. He worked long hours with his father, Miguel, roasting coffee beans and fruit from the age of 9 to 14. Colón attributed his youth to his body's growth. He volunteers for his old neighborhood. Adriana Colón's mother, Adriana, died of breast cancer in 2014.

Personal life

Rosanna Colón's wife and their four sons live in New Jersey. Colón and his wife became US citizens on September 30, 2014. When he was 13 years old, Colón met his wife in the Dominican Republic.

Colón was sued in Manhattan in 2015 by a Washington Heights woman who needed child care for her son and daughter, who had been fathered by Colón during his marriage. Colón and Alexandra Santos decided to a deal that included child care payments on June 17, 2016.

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MLB pitching career

Colón was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cleveland Indians in 1993 and spent his time in the minor leagues.

He finished second in wins with 13 and ERA (1.0.96) in 1995 and dominated the circuit with 152 strikeouts. He was pitching for Kinston, a single-A Carolina League pitcher. Despite closing down on August 1 with a bruised elbow, he was named the league Pitcher of the Year. He was named the Indians' 1995 Minor League Player of the Year (receiving the "Lou Boudreau Award").

He played Triple-A ball with the Buffalo Bisons in 1997 and became the first player in team history to throw a no-hitter at Sahlen Field on June 21 before moving to North AmeriCare Park.

Colón made his Major League Baseball debut against the Anaheim Angels on April 4, 1997, receiving a no decision. Colón's first MLB season saw him go 4–7 with a 5.65 ERA. He set the new-day but unofficial MLB record for tossing the most pitches (20) in a single at bat on June 26, 1998 against Ricky Gutierrez, who later walked out. The record won't be broken until 2018. Colón's first game of the 1998 American League Championship Series was pitched by a four-hit, one-run complete game later this season. Colón was 18–5, pitching over 200 innings with 161 strikeouts and a 3.95 ERA in his 1999 debut.

He tossing a one-hitter against the New York Yankees on September 18, 2000. Colón's first Indians pitcher since Gaylord Perry had more strikeouts in back-to-back seasons in both 2000 and 2001.

Colón and Tim Drew were traded to the Montreal Expos in exchange for Lee Stevens, Brandon Phillips, and prospect Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee right before the 2002 trade deadline. Colón finished 2002 with a combined 20-08 record and a 2.93 ERA, with 72 earned runs in 233-13 innings, three shutouts, and eight complete games. He was the last active participant to play with the Expos.

Colón was traded to the Chicago White Sox with minor leaguer Jorge Nunez for Orlando Hernández, Rocky Biddle, Jeff Liefert, and cash before the 2003 season.

He was a free agent after the previous season and signed with the Anaheim Angels in 2004. In 2004, Colón won 18 games with Anaheim. He went 21-8 with a 3.48 ERA in 2005 and became the first Angels pitcher to win the Cy Young Award since Dean Chance in 1964. Colón spent much of the 2006 season on the disabled list due to a partially torn rotator cuff injury he suffered in a playoff game against the Yankees in 2005. Colón went 1–5 with a 5.11 ERA in ten starts.

Colón pitched 7 innings on his first appearance on the disabled list on April 21, 2007, his first appearance of the 2007 season after his return from the disabled list, allowing one run on seven hits for his first victory in 2007.

Colón signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox on February 25, 2008 and was admitted to spring training. On May 15, 2008, he tossled a one-hitter for the Pawtucket Red Sox' Triple-A squad, the Pawtucket Red Sox. Colón's contract was purchased by the Red Sox six days later, and he was added to the active roster. On May 21, 2008, Colón played his first major league game for the Red Sox against the Kansas City Royals. Against the Baltimore Orioles on June 11, 2008, he won his 150th match in his career.

Colón was put on the suspended list by the Dominican Republic after leaving for the Dominican Republic to address "personal matters" and deciding to stay, effectively ending his Red Sox career. On September 25, 2008, he was put on the restricted list. Colón played on the restricted list as the Red Sox took the 2008 ALDS against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 4 games, but the Tampa Bay Rays lost in seven games against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. After the 2008 season, he applied for free agency.

Colón decided to return to the Chicago White Sox in January 2009, just after losing Javier Vázquez to the Atlanta Braves. He competed for the fourth and fifth starters' positions in the White Sox rotation.

During the White Sox Spring training in Arizona, Colón made his transition from off-season surgery to remove bone chips from his pitching arm elbow. Before the regular season, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén named him the team's fifth starter. Colón made his debut in Chicago on April 11, 2009, tossing six strong innings of three-hit ball. In doing so, he became the first White Sox starting pitcher to win a regular season game in 2009. Colón recovered from another injury and did not return to pitch for the remainder of the season.

Colón did not pitch in 2010 due to the recurring right shoulder and elbow pain, as well as injury to the rotator cuff, ligaments, and tendons. He underwent stem cell transplantation in March 2010 to repair the injured tissues in his right shoulder. In previous surgeries of the same kind, the orthopedic surgeon who did the surgery said he had used human growth hormone, but not with Colón. The surgery was reviewed by MLB, but no wrongdoing was found, but no wrongdoing was discovered.

Colón spent time in Puerto Rico, winter ball with the Aguilas and Leones del Escogido, as well as the Puerto Rican winter league, and has confirmed that he will return to baseball in 2011. On January 26, 2011, he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. Despite arriving at camp 30 pounds overweight, Colón was welcomed to spring training, fighting for a spot on the 25-man roster. He was admitted to the Yankees' Opening Day roster in the bullpen. Colón made his first appearance for the Yankees on April 20, replacing injured Phil Hughes in his rotation position. Colon was 3–3 with a 3.26 ERA in May. He threw a 4-hit shutout against the Athletics on May 30, 2011, his first since 2006. On June 11, 2011, against the Cleveland Indians, he sustained a hamstring injury. When he was injured, he was in the seventh inning of a shutout game, but he limped off the field after covering first base on a ground ball to Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira. Colón's name was later added to the 15-day disabled list. When eligible, he said he'd be back pitching right away. Colón returned to the Yankees on July 2nd and threw six shutout innings against the New York Mets. Colón suffered after only two outs in the first innings, yielding eight runs, his lowest outing of his career. Colón's 2011 season was somewhat of a revival, going 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA and a WHIP of 1.29. He was demoted to the bullpen before the Yankees made the postseason and the team lost to the Detroit Tigers in the 2011 ALDS when the team lost to the Detroit Tigers.

Colón agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with the Oakland Athletics on January 14, 2012. He appeared in eight innings in Tokyo, Japan, giving up one run over three hits in a row but not getting six strikeouts. In a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 18, Colón threw 38 straight strikes, the most since 1988, when the MLB began to collect pitching data in a more effective manner. He started the 2012 season with a 3–1 record and 2.64 ERA, but after that year, he fell to a 1.40 record and 5.80 ERA in his next seven starts.

Colón was suspended for 50 games after he tested positive for synthetic testosterone, a performance-enhancing drug in breach of MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. He was the second MLB player to be suspended for testosterone within a two-week period (along with San Francisco Giants' Melky Cabrera).

Colón's one-year, $3 million contract for 2013. After an 11-3 record with a 2.78 ERA, he was selected for his third All-Star team in July.

Colón agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract with the New York Mets on December 11, 2013. He had his first appearance in nine years when he collided Lance Lynn. Colón won by 5–4 over the Phillies on August 8, 2014. He is the third Dominican-born pitcher to do so, after Juan Marichal and Pedro Martez, and the third pitcher to do so in a Mets uniform, after Orel Hershiser and Martz. Colón ended the 2014 season with 31 starts, 15-2013 record, 202.1 innings pitched, 151 strikeouts, and a 4.09 ERA, despite giving up 218 runs, 30 walks, 22 home runs, and 97 runs (92 of them earned).

Colón, the third Opening Day pitcher over 40 years old against the Washington Nationals, was the third in the game to strike out eight batters, after Cy Young and Nolan Ryan. Colón scored an RBI single against the Atlanta Braves on April 12, 2015. It was his 6th RBI single of his career. Colón won his first four starts in a season in over 80 years on April 23, 2015, as the first pitcher aged 40 years or older wins his first four starts in a season. On May 31, 2015, he had one more RBI, a double. Colón was the first pitcher to win against one team (the Baltimore Orioles) for seven different franchises. Six pitchers had previously held the previous record of six clubs.

Colón made his first Mets franchise appearance as a starting pitcher on June 9, 2015, with 26 decisions in 26 consecutive starts. Dwight Gooden had previously held the record. Justin Bour of the Miami Marlins charged and made a back-and-forth flip to first for the out on September 5, 2015. The play's video earned widespread media attention. He played in 33 games (31 starts) in the 2015 season, posting a 14–13 record and a 4.16 ERA. Colón won in game 4 of the NLCS on October 21, 2015, after the Mets beat the Chicago Cubs by 1.1 innings in relief.

Colón played 2.1 innings in relief and lost Game 1 of the World Series on October 27, 2015, becoming the oldest man to lose a World Series game. It was his first World Series appearance since being a rookie with the Indians in 1997, and the Mets lost the series to the Kansas City Royals in five games.

Colón rejoined the Mets on a one-year, $7.25 million contract on December 16, 2015. He was the oldest active player in Major League Baseball in 2016 as the longest active player in Major League Baseball. He was also, after Maicer Izturis' death, was the last active MLB player to play for the Montreal Expos.

Colón defeated the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 7, his first major league home run against the San Diego Padres. Colón, 42 years old and 349 days, set a record, becoming the first major league player to reach his first home run. Whit Merrifield was hospitalized when he struck Colón in the thumb and pitched him right to the pitcher's mound on June 21, causing him to collapse. He was essentially kicked out of the game straight away. Colón was promoted to the 2016 MLB All-Star Game on July 8, replacing Madison Bumgarner. On August 15, he walked after not having not been walked in his previous 281 plate appearances, setting a new MLB record. Colón became the 47th player to start with 500 goals in his career on October 1, the 47th player to start.

Colón signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal with the Atlanta Braves on November 17, 2016. Since he put up a 2–8 record with an 8.14 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in 13 starts, the Braves have designated him for transfer on June 29, 2017. He was released on July 4 in a new version.

Colón signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins on July 7, 2017. Colón was called up on July 18 to begin against the New York Yankees. He threw a complete game against the Texas Rangers on August 4, the oldest American League pitcher to win after 44 years old Nolan Ryan did the same in 1992. He became the 18th pitcher to win over all 30 MLB franchises against all 30 MLB clubs in the Arizona Diamondbacks later this month.

Colón signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on February 4, 2018 that included an invitation to spring training. On March 24, he was released on March 24, and on March 26, he signed his second minor league contract with Texas. Colón was called up to start against the Oakland Athletics on April 2nd. Colón played a flawless game through seven innings until Carlos Correa was walking on April 15, Argentina. Colón went through 723 innings, allowing just one run as the Rangers won 3–1 in ten innings. He pitched seven innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 28, 2018, while allowing six hits and three runs on 98 pitches. This was the eleventh team with which he had at least one victory. Juan Marichal, the "Dominican Dandy," was the pitcher with the most career victories from the Dominican Republic after defeating Kansas City on June 18. Colón won his second career pitching victory over the Seattle Mariners on August 7, bringing him past Dennis Martinez for the most major titles won by a Latin American-born pitcher. He was not signed in the 2019 season until October 29, and he was not ready to start the free agency.

Colón joined the Aceros de Monclova of the Mexican League on February 14, 2020. However, he never played in 2020, because the Mexican League season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 1, 2021, he made his first pre-season appearance for the team. Colon made his regular season debut on May 21 and pitched five innings, giving up five hits and a single run. Following one season of winter league baseball with the guilas Cibaeas of Dominican Professional Baseball League, he declared his retirement from baseball in August 2022.

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