According to baseball insider Héctor Gómez, veteran pitcher Bartolo Colón will finally receive a proper sendoff in the MLB, nearly a year after announcing his retirement from baseball. The ceremony will take place at Citi Field on August 26, before a game between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels.
Colón, who celebrated his 50th birthday in April, will be honored for his contributions to both teams during his illustrious career. He spent four years with the Angels from 2004 to 2007 and three years with the Mets from 2014 to 2016. Throughout his 21-year career, Colón played for a remarkable 11 MLB teams.
The last time Colón appeared in an MLB game was in 2018, pitching for the Texas Rangers. During that season, he recorded 146 1/3 innings with a 5.78 ERA, 1.346 WHIP, and 81 strikeouts. Colón boasts a career ERA of 4.12, a WHIP of 1.312, and an impressive total of 2,535 career strikeouts. He was selected as an All-Star four times and achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Cy Young Award in 2005 after leading the league with 21 wins. Additionally, Colón became widely recognized for hitting his first and only career home run, a memorable blast to left field during a 2016 game for the Mets against the Padres.
Despite his absence from MLB action in recent years, Colón continued to showcase his skills. He pitched 3 2/3 innings for Águilas Cibaeñas in the Dominican Professional Baseball League from 2018 to 2019, and in 2021, he contributed 61 1/3 innings for Acereros de Monclova in the Mexican League.
In a special moment of nostalgia, Colón also had the opportunity to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Mets' May 7 game against the Rockies, coinciding with the seven-year anniversary of his iconic home run.
(Source: yahoo.com)