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Like a fine wine, New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon is only getting better with age.

The right-hander put himself in the conversation for last season’s play of the year with a ridiculous behind-the-back flip on a grounder near the foul line. He now has another clip to add to his highlight reel.

On Saturday, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Freddy Galvis attempted to catch the Mets by surprise, leading off the sixth inning by bunting. However, his last-second bunt resulted in a pop-up high enough for Colon to make a play.

The 42-year-old pitcher showed off his athleticism by running off the mound and tracking down the bunt, channeling his inner Willie Mays.

Colon was the tough-luck loser in a 1-0 fall to the Phillies, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out seven in six innings of work. On the plus side, his campaign for his first career Gold Glove is now officially underway.

[MLB.com]

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Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval’s weight has always been a hot topic, and this incident will no doubt keep that discussion alive.

In the top of the second inning of Saturday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sandoval took a big rip at a 1-0 offering from knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. The 5’11“, 255-pounder’s swing was so mighty that it popped his belt loose.

And you better believe the Internet noticed:

This was a moment just meant for the social media age.

It was a rough inning for Sandoval. Not only did his belt malfunction (after which he ditched it), but he struck out and was charged with a throwing error in the bottom of the second.

[MLB.com, Twitter]

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When Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper took the field for Thursday afternoon’s game against the Miami Marlins, he did so wearing a special pair of footwear: Under Armour’s first signature baseball cleats, the “Harper One.”

A couple of seasons ago, Los Angeles Angels phenom Mike Trout became the first baseball player since Ken Griffey Jr. to get signature Nike cleats. Now, Under Armour has made Harper the first player under its wings to receive the prestigious honor.

The 2015 National League Most Valuable Player debuted the first colorway of the Harper Ones on Thursday. Under Armour created the cleats to both help maximize his production on the field and show off a little bit about the player himself.

Obviously, the fit is the most important part of any piece of footwear. Under Armour designed the cleats to be breathable and lightweight, giving it the feel of an ordinary sneaker. The cleats also feature a built-in stability strap (for support) and “Charged Cushioning” (to maximize the player’s explosiveness on the field).

There’s no denying that the design of the cleat is the most important thing, but fans also get a kick out what shoes physically look like. The Harper Ones MVP colorway has plenty of cool features all over the place, most notably the gold accents inspired by the MVP award he won last season.

Bryce Harper Signature

BH/34 Logo

220 (“Second to None”)

Las Vegas Skyline 

If these cleats improve Harper’s game any more, the rest of Major League Baseball better look out.

The Harper One MVP colorway will go on sale on July 15.

[Under Armour]

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When Atlanta Braves rookie John Gant made his major league debut against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night, he got to show the world his rather unusual windup.

Every pitcher’s windup is different, as there’s no set way that it must be done. As long as it works for the pitcher and is within the rules, that’s all that matters.

Most pitchers just use different variations of a smooth windup. Gant, on the other hand, doesn’t fire the ball toward home plate until he goes through a series of hitches. It almost appears as though the right-hander “messes up” his delivery, but that’s just a part of his motion.

For a hitter who has never faced Gant or seen him on video, being in the box against him for the first time will be tough. A hitter’s timing can easily be thrown off by the unusual windup.

Why does Gant pitch this way? MLB.com’s Mark Bowman discussed the matter with the 23-year-old pitcher during spring training: “It just happened one day and never stopped. I don’t know if I did it in a bullpen or a game or what. It just felt comfortable and I kept doing it.”

The Braves reliever obviously can’t go through all of his movements when he pitches from the stretch, but when nobody is on base, hitters will have to stay focused throughout the delivery.

Gant threw a scoreless inning against the Nationals in his debut, striking out one batter while allowing a single hit.

[MLB.com]

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The grind of a seven- or eight-month season can make it tough for baseball players to see their families as much as they would like.

Fortunately, the families do at least get to watch the players as they work—either at the ballpark or on television. That may not be the same as actually spending quality time with them, but it’s the next-best thing.

For Chicago Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler‘s daughter, Naya, seeing her father on television makes everything better when he is on the road. Just look at her reaction when she sees him on the screen, and try not to get caught up in the feels.

The Cubs start the 2016 season with a six-game road trip out West, so watching Dexter play on television will have to do for the time being. Even though it may be past the youngster’s bedtime, the Fowlers are willing to make exceptions so Dexter’s biggest fan can see him:

Chicago’s first homestand, which begins April 11, can’t come soon enough for Naya.

[Darya Aliya Fowler]

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The Kansas City Royals raised their 2015 World Series banner before Sunday night’s season opener, but they waited until game No. 2 to hold their ring ceremony.

It was definitely worth it.

Before taking on the New York Mets—the team Kansas City defeated in the Fall Classic—on Tuesday, the Royals received their championship rings.

Here’s a video of the ceremony:

Diamonds. Gold. Sapphires. The perfect ring for royalty. 

Each ring features the recipient’s name on the side with “2015” as well as the Commissioner’s Trophy on the opposite side. Kansas City’s path to the World Series is engraved on the inside, along with a nod to the franchise’s back-to-back American League pennants, which are also honored with blue sapphires on first and third base on the “2015” side of the ring.

Did the players like their new jewelry? You bet.

It’s too bad the rings had to come off shortly after the players got them—but they had a game to play. At least now they can wear them anytime they want when they’re off the field.

Or just stare at them lovingly.

[Twitter]

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Opening Day. WrestleMania 32.

With both events happening in the span of two days, Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones might be as hyped as he’s ever been. After all, he is “the heavyweight champion of Major League Baseball.”

The Orioles don’t play Sunday, which gives Jones the opportunity to watch WrestleMania 32. That’ll be the perfect way to wrap up the offseason ahead of Baltimore’s first game Monday, which is at home against the Minnesota Twins.

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The 2016 Major League Baseball season will mark the 20th and final campaign of Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz’s storied career.

Opening Day is just about here, and players around the league are preparing for the grind of a 162-game season. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if the 40-year-old has already spent some time thinking about what he’ll do after baseball.

Fear not: Saturday Night Live has the “scoop” on Big Papi’s retirement plans.

Comedian Kenan Thompson reprised his role of Ortiz on SNL this weekend to shed some light on what Big Papi has in store. While some players may just want to chill when their playing days are over, the Red Sox star appears to have other ideas.

[Saturday Night Live]

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Los Angeles Angels pitcher Garrett Richards recently found himself in an uncomfortable situation while out at dinner with his teammates—all because his buddies wanted to have some fun at his expense.

Early in the night, a woman had approached the Angels players’ table, which included the likes of Mike Trout and Jered Weaver, to ask for advice as to how she should break up with her boyfriend. Later on, a man told Richards his girlfriend was a huge fan of his and would love for the pitcher to be a part of his proposal.

Little did Richards know, the man and the woman who had separately come over to talk to the players were a couple. And the starter had agreed to help the man propose to a woman who was planning on ending the relationship.

Awkward.

Richards had no idea what to do when the drama unfolded. So he stood there and recorded the moment.

Fortunately for everyone involved, this was just a classic April Fools’ Day gag set up by Trout. And the tension in the room turned to relief as Richards found out it was just a joke.

Richards couldn’t help but laugh off the matter once the prank went viral:

For more on the shenanigans, here’s a behind-the-scenes look:

[PrankvsPrank, Twitter, MLB.com]

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The term “Opening Day” has a special place in every baseball fan’s heart, but for a Cincinnati legend like Johnny Bench, it is the biggest day of the year.

Day—not days, not week. Day.

However, for baseball traditionalists, MLB‘s Opening Day festivities in recent years have watered down the moment. As the greatest catcher of all time and Kingsford believe, the league is trying to do too much with the day when it should be simple.

Bench, of course, spent his entire 17-year Hall of Fame career with the Cincinnati Reds. Being the first team in professional baseball, the Reds traditionally had the honor of kicking off each season by playing the first game of the year. That tradition has gone away, especially now that MLB has played games overseas before the start of the regular season stateside.

This season, there will be three games played Sunday, capped off by a World Series rematch between the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals. The rest of the league will then play on the true Opening Day on Monday.

If Bench had it his way, Opening Day would be exactly what the name implies. Thirty teams. Fifteen games. One day.

[Kingsford]

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