Bartolo Colón
Free Agent — No. --
Starting pitcher
Born: May 24, 1973 (1973-05-24) (age 36) Altamira, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 4, 1997 for the Cleveland Indians
Career statistics (through 2009)
Win-Loss	153-103
Earned run average	4.10
Strikeouts	1,607
Teams
Cleveland Indians (1997-2002) Montreal Expos (2002) Chicago White Sox (2003) Anaheim Angels/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2004-2007) Boston Red Sox (2008) Chicago White Sox (2009)
Career highlights and awards
Cy Young Award winner (2005) 2x All-Star selection (1998, 2005) Led AL in wins in 2005

Bartolo Colón (born May 24, 1973 in Altamira, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who is currently a free agent. He won the American League Cy Young Award with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005.

[edit] Early life

A prospect from the Dominican Republic, Colón was signed by the Cleveland Indians as a free agent in 1993^[1] and made his major league debut at the Anaheim Angels on April 4, 1997, receiving a no decision^[2]. Colón grew up in a home without electricity, running water or indoor plumbing in the Dominican Republic. He does major charity work for his old community.^[3]

[edit] Minor leagues

In 1995, pitching for Kinston of the Single-A Carolina League, he finished second in wins with 13 and ERA with 1.96, and led the circuit with 152 strikeouts. He was named the league’s Pitcher of the Year, despite shutting down on August 1 with a bruised elbow.

He played Triple-A ball with the Buffalo Bisons in 1997 and included being the only player in history to throw a no-hitter in Dunn Tire Park.

On May 15, 2008, Colón threw a one-hitter for the Red Sox' Triple-A team, the Pawtucket Red Sox.

[edit] Major leagues

In his first MLB season in 1997, Colón went 4-7 with a 5.65 ERA. He won his only start of the 1998 American League Championship Series, pitching a four-hit, one-run complete game. In his 1999 season, Colón finished 18-5, pitching over 200 innings with 161 strikeouts and a 3.95 ERA.

In 2000, Colón eclipsed his strikeouts number by 51, ending with 212. He also posted a career-high 98 walks. 2002 was his best season to date, but it came in Cleveland and Montreal. Just prior to the 2002 trade deadline, Colón and Tim Drew were traded to the Montreal Expos in exchange for Lee Stevens, Brandon Phillips, and prospects Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee. Colón finished 2002 with a combined 20-8 record and a 2.93 ERA, including 76 earned runs with 70 walks in 233.1 innings, three shutouts, and eight complete games.

After that season, every team in the league attempted to acquire him, but only a few were willing to bid high enough to obtain him. Before the 2003 season, Colón was traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of a three-team deal that also included the New York Yankees. He finished 2003 with a 15-13 record. A free agent after the season, he signed with the Anaheim Angels. Colón won 18 games with Anaheim in 2004. During the 2005 season, he went 21-8 with a 3.48 ERA, and became the first Angels pitcher to win the Cy Young Award since Dean Chance in 1964.^[4] Due to a partially torn rotator cuff that he received in a playoff game against the Yankees in 2005, Colón spent much of the 2006 season on the DL with soreness or inflammation in his right shoulder. In 10 starts, Colón went 1-5 with a 5.11 ERA.

On April 21, 2007, his first start of the 2007 season following his return from the DL, Colon pitched 7 innings, allowing one run on seven hits for his first win in 2007.

Colón playing for the Boston Red Sox on June 1, 2008.

On February 25, 2008 Colón signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox and was invited to spring training.^[5] On May 21, Colón's contract was purchased by the Red Sox, and he was added to the active roster. Colón pitched his first major league game for the Red Sox on May 21, 2008, against the Kansas City Royals. Colón earned his 150th career win on June 11, 2008 against the Baltimore Orioles.^[6]

On September 19, 2008, Colón was placed on the suspended list by the Red Sox after leaving for the Dominican Republic to handle "personal matters" and deciding to stay, effectively ending his Red Sox career.^[7]

Colón was placed on the restricted list on September 25, 2008. He filed for free agency after the end of the 2008 season.

Colón agreed to a one-year, $1m contract to return to the Chicago White Sox in January 2009, shortly after they had traded Javier Vázquez to the Atlanta Braves. He would compete for the fourth and fifth starters' positions in the White Sox rotation.^[8]

Colón made his comeback from off-season surgery to remove bone chips from the elbow in his pitching arm during the White Sox Spring Training, in the Cactus League in Arizona. He was named as the White Sox fifth starter by manager Ozzie Guillen before the start of the regular season. He won his first start in his second stint in Chicago, pitching six strong innings of three-hit ball as the Sox blanked rivals Minnesota 8-0 on April 11, 2009. In doing so he became the first White Sox starting pitcher to win a regular season game in 2009.

Colón has pitched 31 complete games, ranking 11th among active players as of June 11, 2008.^[9]

[edit] Family

Colón's wife is named Rosanna and the couple has three sons: Bartolo, Emilio and Wilder. His family also lives in Baldwin, New York^[10].

[edit] See also

• List of Cy Young Award winners
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
• List of Major League Baseball wins champions

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube