Bartolo Colon promised late mother he'd pitch until age 45
A week ago, rumors started swirling that 44-year-old Bartolo Colon was at least beginning to mull over his retirement, and could make a decision soon based on how his first starts with the Minnesota Twins went.
Whether those reports were true or not, he was singing a different song Monday.
"I don't put much thought into it," Colon told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com through a translator, regarding the thought of retirement. "It is what it is. But I did promise something to my mom, and I do want to try to make that happen. Next year could be the year, but I have to make the promise come true for my mom. The promise I made before she passed away, I'm going to pitch until I'm 45."
His mother, Adriana, died of breast cancer in 2014 at age 63.
Colon will turn 45 on May 24 of next year, roughly two months into the 2018 season.
The veteran right-hander, who has seemed ageless at times, joined the Twins - his 10th franchise - after being released by the Atlanta Braves. He has run into some adversity in his age-44 season, putting up a 4.92 ERA and 1.78 WHIP over nine innings in two starts with his new club.