Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon hilariously told an opponent he was going to strike out on purpose because he didn't want to swing the bat
New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon is having another solid season on the mound, and he even reached a career milestone this year when he hit his first home run.
However, during the Mets' 7-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday, Colon did not have homering on his mind.
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Quite the opposite, in fact. Colon went 0-2 with two strikeouts during two plate appearances on Monday, and said after the game that his strikeouts were predetermined, and even told the opposing catcher ahead of time. According to Stephen Whyno of AP, Colon's back was bothering him, so going for a hit wasn't worthwhile.
At the plate, Colon did his best to not contribute to [Gio] Gonzalez's rough night, telling catcher Wilson Ramos he wasn't going to swing.
"I swing at the balls pretty hard and I thought, not worth making my back worse, so I told their catcher from the beginning, 'Just throw it right down the middle, I'm not swinging,'" Colon said through a translator. "After that first at-bat and they threw me that changeup, I was like: 'No, I promise you. Throw it right down the middle. I am not going to swing.'"
The specific at-bat seems to have come during the sixth inning, when Colon looked disinterested in swinging at the ball.
Colon did handle his business on the mound, however, going seven innings, allowing five hits, one run, and striking out two while picking up the win.
Hopefully Colon's back is okay, but his advice to Ramos only adds to the mounting evidence that he may be baseball's most colorful personality.
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