Bartolo Colon turns 42 in in May.
But that probably doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. The way things are going, he might pitch effectively for another five years.
He continued his amazing run on a cold and dreary Thursday afternoon at Citi Field, allowing three runs in seven innings. Two of those runs (or maybe all three) probably never should’ve gone on the board thanks to the plate blocking rule allowing a run to score and a puzzling decision by Daniel Murphy to not turn an easy 4-6-3 double play, instead throwing home to try and get the runner off third who ultimately returned safely back to the bag.
It was no bother to Colon. He never blinks an eye, never gets bothered by bad calls or poor play, whether it’s Murphy or his own.
He just keeps on trucking, and keeps on chewing that gum.
“I’m really surprised I’m pitching the way I’m pitching at my age. But, the main thing is team. The team is giving run support. They’re playing as a team and giving everything I need,” Colon said after the game.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Colon won for the fourth time already this season on Thursday, becoming the fourth pitcher in the last 80 years to win his first four starts over the age of 40.
“Nothing fazes him. He’s got a blister on his middle finger and pitched with it and didn’t say a word. Just went out and did his job,” Terry Collins said about Colon. “He’s remarkable, he truly is. He’s the epitome of what pitching is all about: moving the ball around the strike zone trying to change speed a little bit.”
Colon’s blister prevented him from using his off-speed effectively. So, he had a Plan B.
“It only bothered me to use secondary pitches and I didn’t use them so it didn’t bother me,” Colon said.
Well, that’s not totally true. He threw five sliders out of his 91 pitchers. 80 of them were fastballs, and 56 of those fastballs were thrown for strikes.
But with the way he’s able to move his two-seamer and vary the speed of that and his four-seam fastball, he might as well have five, six or even seven pitches in his back pocket. His two-seamer was dazzling yesterday in particular, as he had pinpoint control of that pitch with an ability to tail it back over the corner to the Braves left-handers.
The movement on that fastball left the Braves helpless for most of the day – they were unable to put 47 of his 80 fastballs in play. He struck out five batters and allowed no walks.
Colon is 4-0 for the first time in his career. Given how long he’s pitched, that’s quite remarkable at this point in his career.
“[Colon is] remarkable, he truly is. He’s the epitome of what pitching is all about: moving the ball around the strike zone trying to change speed a little bit,” Collins explained.
I remember when the Mets signed him at the Winter Meetings in 2013 the Mets were seeking a veteran who could lead by example while they wait for Matt Harvey to return from Tommy John Surgery. Colon has done all that and more, leading by example, but perhaps most important is he leads with inspiration and amazement each time he toes the rubber.
There’s no telling how long it’s going to last for him, or how long he is going to be with the club this year. But his value has proven to be unquestionable for the Mets since he arrived. He is 19-13 with a 3.94 ERA in 228 1/3 innings over 35 starts since joining the Mets before the 2014 season.
As Collins said, truly remarkable.
Just Mets 