New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon earned his 220th career win in Monday’s 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves, passing former Mets hurler Pedro Martinez (219) for the second-most wins by a Dominican-born pitcher in MLB history, per MLB Stat of the Day.
The 42-year-old righty struck out seven batters and allowed seven hits in eight scoreless innings, dropping the hapless Braves to 6-19 as the Mets improved to 16-8.
Colon has also enjoyed an excellent season from an individual standpoint, with Monday’s outing improving his record to 2-1, his ERA to 2.56 and his WHIP to 1.14. He even has 28 strikeouts (and just three walks) over 31.2 innings, though he remains a lost cause at the plate with six strikeouts and no hits in nine at-bats.
Colon now needs just 23 more wins to match Juan Marichal (243) for the most by a Dominican-born pitcher, and while it’s unlikely that he’ll reach that milestone this season, Colon could get there at some point next year.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that he’ll play beyond 2016, even though his form suggests that he’ll have plenty left in the tank after this year.
Colon is playing under a one-year, $7.25 million contract in his third season with the Mets.
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