The Twins took a flyer on 44-year-old Bartolo Colon this summer after he was released by the Atlanta Braves, where he posted an ERA north of eight.
After making his first start with the Twins, there was a report that the veteran was considering retirement – but he ended up sticking with it.
Colon told reporters after Wednesday’s start against Milwaukee that it was Ervin Santana who motivated him to come to Minnesota
“I have to thank the Braves for giving me an opportunity and obviously now the Twins and Ervin Santana,” said Colon. “Because without him, I wouldn’t be here, we had a talk before I came here and it motivated me to come here.”
Colon and Santana have a history with one another.
They were teammates for three years with the Angels and both hail from the Dominican Republic. During the 2005 season, Colon won the Cy Young Award when Santana was just a 22-year-old rookie who made 22 starts.
Colon is coming off two incredible performances. He threw a complete game against the Texas Rangers last weekend, and then threw seven-scoreless innings against the Brewers.
Opponents are hitting just .252 against “Big Sexy” over his last three starts. He’s been a breath of fresh air in a rotation that’s been mostly ineffective all season.
The Twins are just a 1.5 games back of an American League Wild Card spot with a majority of their games coming against division foes.
Minnesota will be relying on both Colon and Santana to keep the team in the playoff hunt.
