Colon reaches illustrious Dominican pitching milestone
New York Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon has cemented himself as one of the top pitchers ever to hail from the Dominican Republic with a solid performance Friday night against the Cleveland Indians.
After tossing 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball in New York's 6-5 victory, Colon was credited with the 219th win of his career, tying Pedro Martinez for the second-most wins by a Dominican-born pitcher.
"It means a lot. Pedro Martinez back in my homeland of the Dominican Republic is a special person." Colon said postgame.
The only Dominican-born hurler with more wins than Colon is now the great Juan Marichal, who amassed 243 career victories.
| RANK | PLAYER | WINS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Marichal | 243 |
| 2 | Bartolo Colon | 219 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | 219 |
| 4 | Pedro Astacio | 129 |
| 5 | Joaquin Andujar | 127 |
The 42-year-old is now 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA in three outings, but it's unlikely he challenges Marichal's win total this season.