Mets' Colon: 'At my age, I even surprise myself' with current success
New York Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon continues to defy physical limitations, father time and even his own expectaions
With his 42nd birthday approaching at the end of the month, the hefty hurler is off to one of the best starts of his 18-year career.
Tied for the league-lead with six wins, Colon owns a 3.30 ERA across seven starts and has stuck out 40 batters in 46 1/3 while walking just one.
"The main thing is I've got confidence in what I'm doing," Colon told Adam Rubin of ESPN. "But, at my age, I even surprise myself that I'm pitching as well as I'm pitching right now."
The elder statesman has taken charge of a Mets' rotation that was supposed to be led youth. When Colon signed as an amateur free agent in June of 1993, Jacob deGrom was five, Matt Harvey was four and recent call up Noah Syndergaard was just nine months old.
| Pitcher (Age) | W-L | ERA | IP | SO-BB | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colon (41) | 6-1 | 3.30 | 46.1 | 40-1 | 0.99 |
| Harvey (26) | 5-1 | 2.31 | 46.2 | 47-7 | 0.92 |
| DeGrom (26) | 3-4 | 3.46 | 41.2 | 37-12 | 1.32 |
| Niese (28) | 3-3 | 2.49 | 43.1 | 27-12 | 1.38 |
| Syndergaard (22) | 0-1 | 5.06 | 5.1 | 6-4 | 1.88 |
While Colon's accuracy this season has been remarkable - Phil Rogers of MLB.com notes that three-time All-Star has gone to a three-ball count just 11 times this season - his expiring contract is something he can't control and though he hopes there is still work for him in the majors, Colon admits at this stage of his career he's taking nothing for granted.
"First of all, I've got to finish this year," Colon said. "Second of all, I'm going to take it day by day. But I'm going to pitch and play as long as somebody offers me an opportunity."