Former New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon is looking for one more chance. Even without it, he knows he’s had a blessed career filled with awe-inspiring moments.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Marly Rivera, Bartolo Colon talked about his long MLB career. He talked about his hopes of playing just one more season and his greatest moments. The home run he hit against the San Diego Padres during his tenure with the New York Mets stood out.
It’s one of Colon’s favorite moments, “I still have the bat; it’s a beautiful memory for me.” Colon went on to explain how he thought his home run hopes had been dashed, “Then, after 2014, I thought my dream of ever hitting a home run would never happen. I was getting old. But apparently I had some power that day (in 2016).”
On that magical day Colon went up against James Shields who had no respect for Colon at the plate. Why would he? Colon was one of the worst hitting pitchers in the NL, but not on that day.
Colon broke down his thought process during the at-bat for Rivera.
“I knew Shields was going to throw me a fastball. I let the first two pitches go by. I told myself I wasn’t going to swing but that if he threw me another fastball I would put a swing on it. And I did.”
Colon will always have a special place in his heart for the New York Mets as well.
“I’ve played with 10 teams, but with the Mets, the way all those players treated me, how that entire franchise treated me, from the front office to the kitchen staff, it was amazing. And Mets fans are the best,” Colon said.
Bartolo Colon may not have been the greatest pitcher during his time with the franchise, but he meant a lot to the fans. He was a huge part of what made those teams enjoyable. His personality really shined every time he took the field.
Even more than that, Colon’s role as a mentor to many of the Mets’ younger pitchers was instrumental in their growth. Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz all debuted when Colon was on the roster. He helped them grow and become one of the most dominant staffs in MLB.
