On this date five years ago, something remarkable happened. Roll the tape.
Well-proportioned Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon, veteran of 11 teams and author of one of the most improbable home runs in major-league history, reached into his bag of tricks with a Steve Nash-esque behind-the-back throw to gun down Marlins slugger Justin Bour (admittedly not the fleetest of foot). Not only did SNY announcer Gary Cohen lose his mind (and understandably so), but the dugout reaction from Colon’s amazed teammates including Jacob deGrom was absolutely priceless.
Listed at a festively plump 285 pounds, the 42-year-old literally made quick work of the Marlins on September 5, 2015, hurling nine scoreless frames in a game that took just two hours and 30 minutes to complete. That marked Big Sexy’s 13th career shutout and 35th complete game.
If you’re wondering what Colon, now 47 years of age, is up to these days, the former Cy Young winner and four-time All-Star is still throwing heat south of the border, competing for Acereros de Monclova in the Mexican League. The Acereros’ roster boasts plenty of familiar talent including former big-leaguers Rajai Davis (best known for his game-tying blast off Aroldis Chapman in Game 7 of the 2016 Fall Classic), 2016 National League home run champ Chris Carter, Danny Espinosa, Fernando Salas, Erick Aybar and Bruce Maxwell.
Assuming his MLB ship has finally sailed, Colon will cash out with 247 victories (50th-most in league history) and 2,535 career strikeouts, the latter good for 35th all-time. That may not be enough to earn him a seat in Cooperstown (he also has a 2012 PED suspension working against him), but no one can take away his iconic throw to nail Bour at first.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram