Bartolo Colón
A rotund pitching marvel who defied age and gravity, charming baseball fans with his durability and a shockingly powerful swing.
Born 1973 (age 53)·Dominican baseball player·Birthday: May 24·Generation X
Biography
Bartolo Colón’s career was a masterclass in sustained adaptability. Emerging from the Dominican Republic, he first made his mark as a fireballing ace, capturing the 2005 American League Cy Young Award with a 21-win season for the Los Angeles Angels. As his fastball velocity faded, he reinvented himself not once but several times, morphing into a crafty control artist who could paint the corners with a sinking two-seamer. His journey took him to a record-tying 11 different MLB teams, becoming a beloved journeyman whose every at-bat was a must-watch event of pure, unadulterated hope. The pinnacle of this cult status came in 2016 with the New York Mets, when, at 42, he stunned the sporting world by hitting his first and only career home run—a moment of such joyful improbability it cemented his 'Big Sexy' legend. He pitched until he was 45, a testament to a deep love for the game and a rubber arm that seemed to belong to a different era.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Bartolo was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bartolo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Bartolo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the American League Cy Young Award in 2005 after leading the league with 21 wins for the Los Angeles Angels.
- Tied the MLB record by playing for 11 different franchises across his 21-year career.
- Became the oldest player in MLB history to hit his first career home run, doing so at age 42 for the New York Mets in 2016.
- Recorded 247 career wins, the most by a pitcher born in the Dominican Republic.
- Pitched a complete-game shutout for the New York Mets at age 44 in 2017.
Did You Know?
His iconic home run ball was recovered and donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
He was traded for players including Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore, and Brandon Phillips.
He once pitched a complete game victory in under 90 pitches at the age of 45.
His nickname 'Big Sexy' was popularized by Mets teammate Noah Syndergaard.
“I love baseball. That’s the only thing I know.”
