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Bartolo Colon has more fun, and is more fun, than anybody in Major League Baseball. He’s 42, delightfully rotund, and just flipped a baseball behind his back about 20 feet to finish his 22nd scoreless inning in a row. HE FLIPPED A DANG BASEBALL BEHIND HIS BACK IN A REAL GAME. It’s important not to overuse the term “swag,” but I think we’re safe to apply it here.
Bartolo is always full of surprises, and this one might take the cake. The best part about the play is that it was probably the only way he could have gotten Justin Bour out at first. A traditional throw would have hit him in the back. But the functionality is faaaar from the most important part of this play. He’s enjoying the longest shutout run of his career (and it’s been a long career), he’s playing for a first-place team, and he’s just swaggin’ out. Bartolo don’t care.
The Mets’ young pitchers (Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob DeGrom) may get all the attention, but they don’t have half of what Colon has:
His confidence! I meant his confidence! It’s going to be needed as the Mets try to hold their lead in the division, and it’s going to be must-watch TV if he takes the mound in the playoffs. (He pitched a complete game shutout and is at 25 scoreless innings in a row, by the way.)
(Via Stephon Johnson)
