Report: Bartolo Colon plans to return for 22nd season
"Big Sexy" isn't ready to call it quits just yet.
Bartolo Colon, the beloved 45-year-old right-hander and baseball's oldest active player, is reportedly planning on coming back in 2019 to pitch in his 22nd major-league season, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports.
Colon pitched for the Texas Rangers last year after joining them on a minor-league contract before spring training. He started his 2018 campaign strong, posting a 2.87 ERA in April, and even took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Houston Astros. The rest of his year didn't go as smoothly, though, and Colon finished 2018 with a 5.78 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 81 strikeouts over 146 1/3 innings pitched.
Still, 2018 was actually a season to remember for Colon. In June, the native of Altamira, Dominican Republic won his 243rd career game to break Hall of Famer Juan Marichal's long-standing record for wins by a Dominican pitcher; a few months later, he earned win No. 246 to surpass Nicaraguan legend Dennis Martinez as baseball's winningest Latino hurler.
The 2005 Cy Young Award winner was initially signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1993 and made his big-league debut five years later. He owns a career record of 247-188 with a 4.12 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and has accumulated 2,535 strikeouts, 948 walks, 38 complete games, and 13 shutouts across 3,461 2/3 innings (plus one home run as a hitter). If he does pitch in 2019, the four-time All-Star would remain baseball's active leader in multiple statistical categories, including wins and games started.
Colon has pitched for 11 different teams during his career, and he's the last active player to have suited up for the Montreal Expos.