Bartolo Colon, the right-hander who pitched 21 seasons in the majors, will officially call it a career this fall at Citi Field.
The Mets announced Friday that the 50-year-old would retire as a member of the Mets on Sept. 17 in a news conference prior to their afternoon game against the Cincinnati Reds.
“I played with a lot of teams during my career but playing for the Mets was very special to me,” said Colon in a statement. “The fans treated me great and I can’t wait to celebrate my career with them on Sept. 17.”
Colon, affectionally called "Big Sexy," last pitched in 2018 and has tenures with 11 different teams. The four-time All-Star, including 2016 with the Mets, has one Cy Young award (2005 with the Angels) and 247 career wins and 2535 career strikeouts.
Colon pitched with the Mets from 2014-2016 to a 44-34 record with a 3.90 ERA in 98 games (95 starts). He was a part of the 2015 National League Championship team and hit one memorable home run in 2016 against the San Diego Padres.
That home run off of pitcher James Shields made Colon the oldest player (42 years, 349 days) to hit his first major league home run.
To commemorate the occasion, the first 15,000 fans who attend the game will receive a "Big Sexy" long sleeve shirt.