Bartolo Colon and Billy Hamilton face off in foot race to first

The baseball gods can be cruel. Sometimes, it’s ripping a pitcher away with Tommy John surgery, Others, it’s ruining a possible no-hitter in the ninth inning. But occasionally, the baseball gods reward us with the perfect highlight. The type of thing that’s so incredible you have to see in order to believe.

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On Tuesday, the baseball gods delivered. During the New York Mets contest against the Cincinnati Reds, the baseball gods allowed us to witness the foot race of a lifetime. It involved Bartolo Colon and Billy Hamilton.

The race ended … predictably. Hamilton beat out the throw, which was offline, and wound up with an infield hit. And while it wasn’t a straight foot race, as Colon started from the pitcher’s mound, the sight of the two striding toward first is something we can all appreciate.

The Reds had an even better angle on the action, and managed to compliment (we think) Colon in the process.

Just two elite athletes out there giving it their all. pic.twitter.com/fvlOy2Y1Cr

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 27, 2016

It’s easy to make fun of Colon in this situation, but he is a pretty exceptional athlete when you think about it.

While Hamilton probably would have smoked Colon in a straight race, the immense difference between the two players couldn’t be more apparent on this play. On one hand, you have the 42-year-old fan favorite Colon. He does many things well, but speed isn’t one of those things. On the other hand, you have Hamilton, the 25-year-old outfielder known for being the fastest player in the majors.

Also, Colon loses his cap at the end of the play, and that’s amusing.

[Elsewhere: Chris Colabello doesn’t deny positive PED test, but can’t explain it]

In the end, it’s silly and dumb, but who cares? It’s not often we get to glimpse something as precious as this. We thank you, baseball gods, for allowing us to have this experience.

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