How many pitchers finish their Major League careers
With 247 wins, 2535 strikeouts, a Cy Young Award…
And are best known and loved in the Big Apple
For hitting a single home run? The answer is just one . . .
Bartolo Colón was (still is) loved by fans of the Metropolitans
For his clutch pitching on the 2016 World Series team
But more for his chunky Everyman body, his behind-the-back
Tossing flair… and his one and only homer lofted (mirabile dictu!)
Against the Padres in that magic year. He was the oldest
Ever to hit his first dinger, being 16 days shy of age 43. The
Video shows the love his teammates had for him as they
Were joyously screaming before they briefly left the dugout
And headed in the direction of the locker room, hiding from
Big Sexy good-naturedly. Of course, they then returned
And team-hugged him, and all-star de Grom called the
Event the greatest thing he’d ever seen in baseball!
Just listen to announcer Gary Cohen’s impassioned cry
As he declares that “The impossible has happened!”.
It’s the unexpected miracles that give flavor to
A baseball player’s life, and on that day,
Colón reminded us that certain rare but special players
Are living reflections of the fantasy of every baseball fan!