It was the 226th at-bat of his career. The Mets won the game, 6-3, but that morphed into a forgettable footnote because Colon, 17 days shy of his 43rd birthday, became the oldest player in Major League Baseball history to hit the first home run of his career.

42 years old Colon on HR: 'Don't even know how to explain it' He was 42 years old at the time, making him the oldest player to hit his first ball over the fence. Given his reputation both as a beloved clubhouse figure and a portly whirlwind at the plate, the reactions to Colon's homer tell the tale as well as any list of facts.

On May 7, Colón hit his first major league home run, against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park off of James Shields. At age 42 years and 349 days, Colón broke a record, becoming the oldest major league player to hit his first home run.

MLB.com's Anthony DiComo noted Statcast clocked Colon rounding the bases in a brisk 30.6 seconds to celebrate his first homer.

Big Sexy's day in the sun: Colon retires as a Met NEW YORK -- Bartolo Colon hasn't pitched in a Major League game since 2018, when he was with the Rangers. Five years later, Colon, 50, officially announced his retirement as a member of the Mets before Sunday's finale against the Reds at Citi Field.

All told, Colón pitched for Cleveland (1997-2002), the Expos (2002), White Sox (2003), Angels (2004-07), Boston Red Sox (2008), the White Sox again (2009), the Yankees (2010), Athletics (2011-12), Mets (2014-16), Atlanta Braves (2017), Minnesota Twins (2017), and Rangers (2018).

The Indians sent Colon, along with minor leaguer Tim Drew for first basemen Lee Stevens, and three prospects – Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Cliff Lee.

Ross Barnes The first home run ever hit in the National League was by Ross Barnes of the Chicago White Stockings (now known as the Chicago Cubs), in 1876. The home "run" was literally descriptive.

He was unusual then, too, a young guy who threw 99 mph in an era when not many starters did.

21 seasons Colon last threw a pitch in the majors in 2018 at the age of 45 and last appeared in organized ball in Mexico in 2021, but he's only now officially hanging up his cleats. The 50-year-old spent parts of 21 seasons in the majors and played for 11 teams, winning 247 games and posting a 4.12 ERA.

Bartolo Colon hit 1 home runs during his career, 0 while playing at home, 1 while on the road.

Satchel Paige