On June 2, 2023, iconic pitcher Bartolo Colon announced that he would retire from baseball. The news marked the culmination of one of modern baseball’s most unorthodox and entertaining careers.
Born in the Dominican Republic in 1973, Colon left school at a young age and worked long hours on his family’s coffee bean farm. In 1993, the Cleveland Indians signed him. After winning the Indians’ Minor League Player of the Year Award in 1995, he was promoted to the major leagues in 1997.
Fat skinny, six feet tall, right-handed when he first came to the United States. However, “Big Sexy” cited American fast food as the main reason why he was able to increase and increase his speed. In 1998, he posted a 3.95 ERA to go along with an 18-5 record with 161 strikeouts, which placed him fourth in the AL Cy Young voting.
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“Bartolo Colon: April 1998 and April 2018” – Darren Rovell
In 1996, Colon married Rosanna, a girl he had known since he was 13 years old. Over the course of their marriage, Colon would father four sons by Rosanna. In 2004, Colon signed with the Los Angeles Angels, where his career took off. In 2005, Bartolo Colon pitched 222 innings and posted 21 league wins, along with a 3.48 ERA. Due to the spectacular year, Colon was named the winner of the AL Cy Young Award.
After a decade of pitching as a journeyman, Colon joined the New York Mets in 2014, which was also the year he and Rosanna became naturalized U.S. citizens. Two years later, revelations would come to light that shook his private life to the core. In May 2016, 38-year-old Alexandra Santos filed a $7 million lawsuit against Colon. According to the Washington Heights woman, Bartolo Colon was the father of her two school-age children.
“A very Merry Christmas to you and yours from me and my beloved family, Bartolo and Rosanna Colon” – Parker
Rosanna Bartolo Colon remains together despite high-profile affair
During the ordeal, Rosanna Colon acknowledged her husband’s affair, calling it “very personal” and claiming she “didn’t want to talk about it.” It appears that for the sake of their four sons – Bartolo Jr., Emilio, Wilder and Randy – the Colons have decided to stick it out and stay together. Colon’s last appearance in the MLB was in 2018 for the Texas Rangers. He has spent most of the past five years playing in Mexico and his native Dominican Republic.