Bartolo Colon only played for three months for the Montreal Expos in the summer of 2002. Two decades later, he was nevertheless one of the most courted former players, Sunday in Laval, during the Expos Fest event .
Several enthusiasts came to meet him at the Embassy Plaza. Vladimir Guerrero, Tim Raines, Steve Rogers and Bill Lee were also among the most popular guests, not to mention Quebec pitcher Éric Gagné.
“How can you not like that guy?” asked former third baseman Sean Berry, speaking of Colon, who was his opponent instead. He played baseball with passion and with a smile. That’s why fans love it so much.”
In Montreal, the right-handed pitcher had completed three complete games in his first six starts in July. He added a two-hit shutout on August 19 at Olympic Stadium against the San Diego Padres. In 17 games, Colon had posted a 10-4 record and a 3.31 ERA.
Years later, his New York Mets teammate Noah Syndergaard gave him the nickname “Big Sexy.” His popularity then only increased. Still in 2018, when he was 45, the pitcher was playing major league baseball with the Texas Rangers.
“I don’t think I’m sexy, but if the fans like to call me that, I like it too,” Colon likes to repeat.
Relive the Expo era
Among the nostalgic, Simon Descôteaux had made the trip from Quebec to see Colon, but also Guerrero.
“We meet our childhood idols, we relive the Expos era by seeing their faces,” he testified.
François Destroismaisons, of Saint-Jérôme, said he was particularly happy to see Berry and Jeff Fassero up close. To each their own time!
“It’s a perfect day to find our inner child and get some autographs,” noted the former Expos fan.
“During the years that I played here, the support of the most loyal fans was impressive, it’s amazing to see that we can still have such an effect,” added Berry. There is still room for baseball in Montreal. I hope that one day a team will be back. My children grew up here and I have many fond memories.”
– The Expos Fest event aims to raise money to support brain tumor research through the Kat D DIPG Foundation. The ambitious goal of raising a total of $1 million could be reached in 2023.
