Bartolo Colón

[William Malone]

Bartolo Colón was born on May 24, 1973 in the Dominican Republic.

The Cleveland Indians signed him as an international free agent in 1993. He debuted for them in 1997, and made his first of four career All-Star teams the following summer. Known for his longevity, Colón pitched for 11 teams over a 22-year career. He won the American League Cy Young award in 2005 while with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. As of 2025, his 247 career wins are the most by any pitcher born in Latin America.

Colón came to the Minnesota Twins as 44-year old in 2017. He began that season with the Atlanta Braves, but was released in early July after posting an 8.14 ERA through 13 starts. His debut with the Twins came on July 18, 2017 against the New York Yankees. After tossing four shutout innings, Colón wasn't able to get an out in the fifth. He finished with a line of four innings and four earned runs allowed, striking out three.

His half season tenure in Minnesota included a mix of really good and really bad starts. Colón tossed a complete game against the Texas Rangers on August 4th, and followed that up with seven shutout innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on August 9th. There were three other occasions where he pitched into the seventh. Colón defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 20th, making him the 18th pitcher in Major League history to record a win against all 30 clubs. Overall, he went 5-6 with a 5.18 ERA over 15 starts.

The Twins made the postseason, but lost in the AL Wild Card Game. There was a possibility of Colón starting game one of the ALDS if Minnesota had gotten through the Wild Card Game, as both Ervin Santana and José Berríos were used in their loss against the Yankees. Their other options would have been Kyle Gibson (12-10, 5.07 ERA in 2017) and Adalberto Mejía (4-7, 4.50 ERA in 2017).

Colón signed with the Texas Rangers for the 2018 season, which was ultimately his final Major League campaign. He went 7-12 with a 5.78 ERA, making 24 starts and four relief appearances. Colón spent four years pitching professionally in Mexico. As of 2025, he is currently pitching for a team in Pakistan at the age of 52. His team is managed by former All-Star shortstop Miguel Tejada. The general manager is Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltre.

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