May 8th, 2016 at 6:28 am 
by Ron Cervenka Anyone who has ever seen Bartolo Colon pitch has witnessed one of the game’s fiercest competitors – this in spite of his age. But on Saturday afternoon at Petco Park in San Diego, the 5′-11″ – 285-pound 2005 AL Cy Young award winner etched his name into baseball immortality when he slugged the first home run of his 19-year MLB career, thus becoming the oldest player in MLB history to hit his first home run.
“I don’t even know how to explain it. I’m very thankful. I thank God for this amazing moment, and I wasn’t expecting it,” Colon told reporters after the game. “Once I hit it I knew it was gone. The ball in San Diego travels well. Anytime I see a fastball I swing hard because I’m not a curveball hitter.”
The significantly overweight, soon-to-be 43-year-old (on May 24) Altamira, Dominican Republic native more closely resembles a beer league softball player than a major league baseball player, and with good cause – he is one.
Although the general consensus of Colon’s epic blast is one of good-natured humor, there is one guy who isn’t laughing – Padres right-hander James Shields, who gave up the 357-foot blast that hit the historic Western Metal building at Petco Park. When asked if he was surprised to see Colon’s home run swing, Shields answered: “Next question, man.”
But perhaps the best quote of the day – the same day of the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby – came from Padres manager Andy Green.
“I don’t know what the odds were of the Kentucky Derby for the trifecta today, but I figure the swing was probably a lot longer odds than that,” said Green, a Kentucky native, “It’s one of those things that you just don’t expect to see. Good swing.”
Although Shields and the rest of the Padres may not be too happy about Colon’s home run, the rest of the baseball world is absolutely enamored by it – at least judging by this very small sampling of the barrage of posts that flooded Twitter shortly after the blast.
But perhaps the happiest guy of all is 35-year-old Jimmy Zurn, a baseball coach at La Mirada High School in Southern California and huge Mets fan. He’s also the guy who caught Colon’s home run ball.
“Bartolo is a true athlete,” Zurn told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. “Anyone who can crush a plate of nachos and crush a baseball like that has to be an athlete.”
Zurn and his five-year-old son Ryan gladly gave the ball back to Colon and were invited to meet him after the game.
“It is a beautiful thing they did,” said Colon of Zurn and his family.
As for that mantra thing, be prepared to start hearing something to the effect of:
“If 42-year-old Bartolo Colon can hit a home run, then… (fill in the blank).”
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He’s no Gaylord Perry, who hit 6 homers in his 22-year career. Manager Alvin Dark once said there would be a man on the moon before Perry hit a home run, and sure enough, just hours after Apollo 11 landed on the moon he hit his first.
But Colon is a remarkable athlete. At his age and his weight it’s surprising he can still pitch, yet he is one of the better hitting and fielding pitchers. I wish the Dodgers had picked him up when they were out shopping for old guys to pass off as depth.
I was lucky enough to decide to turn the Met’s game on yesterday afternoon and witness Colon’s HR.
The Mets suck.
Bartolo Colon is one of the mysteries of life. You know like bumble bees aren’t supposed to be able to fly. Colon shouldn’t be doing what he is doing at soon to be 43. He is good for the game.