MLB: The Best Moments of 2016

5. Bartolo Colon’s First Career Home Run

Bartolo Colon is one of few players that garners admiration from the fans of just about every baseball team. The 43-year-old pitcher is not only still playing at the big league level, but is producing good numbers. In 2016, Colon boasted a 15-8 record with a 3.43 ERA in 33 games started. Those are impressive numbers already; add in the fact that Colon is 43 years old and it impresses even more. However, his production isn’t what included him on this list. It was his first career home run. On May 7, Colon blasted a two-run home run out of Petco Park.

You can tell from his teammates’ reactions how truly awesome this moment was. Colon has become somewhat of a hero to many baseball fans. Whether it be his discovery of the fountain of youth, or falling over on nearly every other swing, baseball fans adore Bartolo Colon. This is why it is so amazing, and makes number five on the list. Any pitcher hitting a home run is special, but when someone of Colon’s caliber manages to slug on out, well, that’s legendary.

It is quirky, funny moments like this that we need to remember heading into 2017. Players like Colon remind us that baseball in the end is just a game, and if we are not having fun with it, then we are doing it wrong.

Luckily for baseball fans, Bartolo Colon will be returning next season, this time part of the Atlanta Braves. If we are lucky, he could be the first pitcher to hit one out of Atlanta’s new SunTrust Park. Let’s all hope that Colon manages to keep going back to the fountain of youth, because we surely will miss his presence when he hangs them up.