Colon shakes off comebacker to stomach, throws 7 2/3 shutout frames

You can't knock Bartolo Colon down.

The Texas Rangers right-hander, who will turn 45 later this month, continued his remarkable season Tuesday with a dominant 7 2/3 shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners in a 5-1 Texas victory. And perhaps even more impressive was the fact that he managed to do much of his work after taking a fourth-inning comebacker to the stomach.

Fortunately for the Rangers, Colon - who's been one of their most impressive starters this year - was able to shake it off, and he had a smile on his face through the whole ordeal.

Colon hinted after the game he might not have even felt the full brunt of the 101-mph line drive thanks to his trademark girth.

"It's OK, I have a lot of belly," he quipped to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

When he wasn't being hit in the stomach, Colon was busy holding the Mariners to four hits while not walking a batter over his 96-pitch outing. Incredibly, Wednesday was the 14th time he's thrown seven-plus shutout innings since he turned 40 in 2013, and the 50th time since 1908 that a pitcher aged 44 or older has done that, according to Baseball-Reference.

Colon also picked up his 242nd career win Wednesday, moving him just one shy of tying Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for the most ever by a Dominican-born pitcher.