Bartolo Colon, recently of the New York Mets, made his
comeback to the Major Leagues when the New York Yankees signed him in 2011.
Colon’s signing was surrounded by controversy, imagine that with the New York
Yankees in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, due to a stem cell transplant
injection in his elbow. Colon is 42 years old and likely to call it a career so
now more than ever I’d like remember a Yankee of the past, Mr. Bartolo
Colon.
Colon was coming off a 2010 season that he missed due to
ongoing right shoulder and elbow pain while also damaging his rotator cuff,
ligaments and tendons in his right throwing shoulder. In March of 2010 Colon
received the stem cell transplant to help repair the damaged tissues in his
shoulder which came attached to a slew of controversy. The surgeon who
performed the surgery was said to have used human growth hormone in previous
surgeries, surgeries similar to Colon’s but denied the fact that any were used
in Colon’s surgery. Major League Baseball held an investigation but no
wrongdoing was found by the league and Colon was allowed to pitch in 2011.
Colon signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on January
26, 2011 after pitching in the Pre_World Championship in Puerto Rico, winter
ball with the Aguilas and Leones del Escoquido, and the Puerto Rican winter
league. Colon was invited to spring training that year and despite coming into
camp 30 lbs. overweight Colon made the team out of the bullpen. Colon was not
long for the bullpen and by April, 20 he was replacing Phil Hughes in the
rotation through the month of May. Colon went 3-3 with a 3.26 ERA replacing
Hughes and stuck in the team’s rotation long enough to throw a 4-hit shutout
against the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees and Colon were firing on all
cylinders until June, 11 when Colon, who was throwing a shutout against the
Cleveland Indians, was seen limping off the field after covering first base.
Colon went on the disabled list but vowed to be back in 15 days.
Colon was a man of his word as he came off the disabled list
on July 2 to make a start against the New York Mets where he threw six more
shutout innings for New York. Colon finished his only season with the Yankees
with an 8-10 record and 4.00 ERA. Colon was named to the team’s playoff roster
as a member of the bullpen before the team lost to the Detroit Tigers in the
2011 ALDS, thus ending Colon’s tenure as a New York Yankees.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)