Bartolo Colon of the Texas Rangers made some history last night. His win was his 243rd and that ties him with Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for the most wins ever by a pitcher from the Dominican Republic.
He could make some more history soon, too: he is two wins shy of Dennis Martinez, from Nicaragua, who holds the record of 245 wins by a pitcher from Latin America. Colon said after the game that he was “very proud and honored” to match Marichal, who he noted was the first Dominican player to make the Hall of Fame.
Colon climbed a bit closer to another milestone too, by recording his 2,499th career strikeout. Once he punches out one more guy he’ll become the 34th pitcher in Major League history with 2,500 career strikeouts. Colon is aware of it too, telling T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com after the game that ". . . the milestones are very important . . . that’s why I keep playing. It’s not the money. It’s something I’m trying to fulfill and make these goals.”
He’s doing just that.
