Bartolo Colon’s big win passes Hall of Famer for most wins by a native of the Dominican Republic.

Bartolo Colon entered the 2018 season with no guarantees. Having played 23 seasons, Big Sexy knows how to overcome adversity. Even with all this experience at 45, even he had some doubts about starting the season in the Minor Leagues.

It seems that there may be some external forces working for Bartolo at the end of spring training.  He did not make the 25-Man roster to start the season and was hours away from being released. However, injuries to the Texas Rangers starting rotation gave the former CY Young Award winner an opportunity to earn his spot back. Fortunately, he took full advantage and has solidified himself as one of the best pitchers on the team.

Entering the season, Bartolo Colon needed just four wins to pass Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for most wins by a Dominican player. Due to the struggles of the Texas Rangers offense it has taken him longer than he would like to reach the 4 win mark. On June 18th, the stars aligned for Bartolo. The Kansas City Royals came into the game having lost 7 games in a row and an offence that has been anemic all season long. Big Sexy spun a quality game by giving up only 3 runs in 6 innings. The Rangers offence did just enough, fueled by Adrian Beltre’s early 3 run home run to secure the win.

Bartolo Colon has had a long and successful career, playing for 11 different teams. One of which, the Expos, hasn’t been in existence for for 14 years! It sure has take him a while to reach this mark but his next target is in reach. He needs only two more victories to pass Dennis Martinez for most wins by a Latin born player.

At this pace, the big guy will have plenty of opportunities to reach that mark. Who knows, maybe we will get the chance to see him try to hit again.