THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL August 7: Bartolo Colon’s 246th win makes him all-time Latino leader
Built like a beer keg on legs, Bartolo Colon always looked like he belonged slinging softballs in a Sunday league than on a Major League mound.
Boy, are looks deceiving.
Not only did the well-traveled Dominican Republic native (above right, with D.R. President Danilo Medina) enjoy a 21-year career with 11 different teams, on this day in béisbol, Aug. 6, 2018, the 45-year-old righty became the all-time leader in wins for a Latino pitcher.
No. 246 came with the Texas Rangers in an 11-4 victory against Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez. It moved him past Nicaragua-born Dennis Martinez, who retired in 1998 at age 44 with a lifetime 245-193 record.
Colon, who came up with the Indians in 1997 at 24 and was a Cy Young winner with the Angels in 2005, retired as a Ranger at the end of the 2018 season with a record of 247-188.
Also on this day: In 2016, Alex Rodriguez announces he will retire and play his final game for the Yankees on Aug. 12. The controversial slugger leaves the game just 4 home runs shy of 700, good for fourth place on the all-time list.
— Robert Dominguez
Robert Dominguez is co-author of “Bronx Bummers: The Unofficial History of the New York Yankees’ Bad Boys, Blunders and Brawls” and writer of the upcoming “El Salón: The Trials and Triumphs of Baseball’s Latino Hall of Famers.”
Photo: PresidenciaRD — Under Creative Commons License
