Colon Hits 1st Career Homer in Mets' 6-3 Win Over Padres

New York's Bartolo Colon became the oldest player to hit his first major league home run, connecting Saturday night less than three weeks before his 43rd birthday, to help the New York Mets to a 6-3 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Colon's impressive two-run drive off James Shields into the seats in the left field corner gave the Mets a 4-0 lead with two outs in the second.

Colon (3-1) watched the ball all the way, and didn't toss his bat until he was well more than halfway to first base. The portly pitcher's trot around the bases took about 30 seconds.

When he returned to the dugout, his teammates were hiding in the tunnel before coming out to mob him.

Yoenis Cespedes hit a two-run homer for the Mets, who scored only three runs and had seven hits in losing the first two games of this four-game series.

Randy Johnson hit his only homer shortly after turning 40 in 2003. He was the oldest to finally hit a home run before Colon.

Colon hasn't had to worry about his hitting. He won the 2005 AL Cy Young Award while with the Los Angeles Angels, and is a three-time All-Star.

Nonetheless, his at-bats are always a highlight. He usually swings hard and his helmet often falls off in the process, frequently drawing cheers and laughs from fans at home and on the road.

Before his home run, he was a career .089 hitter in 225 at-bats, striking out 119 times.

At 42 years, 349 days, Colon is the second-oldest Mets player to homer. Julio Franco homered on May 4, 2007, when he was 48 years, 254 days old.

Colon's major league debut was April 4, 1997, in a no-decision for Cleveland against the Angels. Franco was his teammate. The opposing manager was Terry Collins, now in his sixth season as the Mets manager.

Kevin Plawecki was aboard on a double for Colon's homer.

Colon pitched 6 2-3 innings, allowing three runs and six hits while striking out five and walking one. Jeurys Familia pitched the ninth for his ninth save in as many chances.

Cespedes hit his 10th homer with two outs in the first. David Wright was aboard on a walk.

Wright and Michael Conforto hit consecutive homers off Carlos Villanueva with one out in the ninth. It was Wright's fourth and Conforto's fifth.

Jon Jay hit a three-run homer to right-center off Colon with one out in the third, his first with the Padres. Shields and Derek Norris were aboard on singles.

Shields (1-5), who singled twice, allowed four runs and five hits in six innings, struck out eight and walked five.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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