Bartolo Colon makes history with memorable first career homer
They say the best things in life are worth waiting for.
On Saturday night in San Diego, Bartolo Colon proved that to be true.
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In a moment many baseball fans dreamed about but never believed would actually happen, the beloved Mets right-hander finally connected for his first career home run.
Colon, who turns 43 on May 24, dialed long distance against Padres right-hander James Shields. It was a no-doubt, two-run blast to the left field seats at Petco Park, which has long been established as one of baseball’s most pitcher-friendly parks.
In doing so Colon also made some pretty cool history, becoming the oldest player in MLB history to hit his first career homer.
What followed was a celebration that perfectly fit the special occasion. It really started with the exuberant call of Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen. That made it feel truly special, in addition to historic. The reaction of Colon’s teammates was cool to see too. They probably wanted it more than Colon did, and then they added the perfect touch by evacuating the dugout and giving him the silent.treatment.
That’s probably baseball’s truest sign of affection.
Man, if only this had happened at Citi Field. That may have been the wildest scene all season.
Perhaps the best part though was Colon’s home run trot. He really savored the moment, which is great. His trot took at least 30 seconds, which would place it among the slowest since such things were recorded.
You know, maybe he was thinking about that $50,000 bonus he had added to his contract for winning the Silver Slugger.
For so many years, we’ve laughed with Colon every time he took a hard swing and lost his balance. We’ve laughed with him when his helmet went flying. On Saturday, I feel it’s safe to assume that all of those laughs turned into cheers as Colon lived a dream and made history.
Here’s to you, Bartolo!
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
