Baseball is growing and becoming a global game.
It’s not just about MLB anymore.
We saw it this year with the increased popularity of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Each year, more countries put together professional baseball leagues to help facilitate this growth.
This year marked the birth of Baseball United, a professional league with teams in the United Arab Emirates, India, and Pakistan.
The league had its All-Star showcase on Friday and it will extend into Saturday.
There are some former major leaguers on the rosters of the four teams, including Robinson Cano, Pablo Sandoval, and Bartolo Colon.
Colon, who appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in the current voting process, is showing he still has interest and talent to pitch professionally.
He made Baseball United history by recording the league’s first ever strikeout.
“In a matchup of former Mets, Bartolo Colón strikes out Alejandro De Aza for the first strikeout in @BaseballUnited history,” SNY Mets tweeted.
In a matchup of former Mets, Bartolo Colón strikes out Alejandro De Aza for the first strikeout in @BaseballUnited history pic.twitter.com/ng0dG89MxU
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) November 24, 2023
Colon got De Aza looking to log his first K of the newly created league.
At 50, Colon remains as effective as ever, even if his fastball is far from what it used to be.
Perhaps he can’t dominate MLB hitters anymore, but he sure can get Baseball United hitters out.
In his first start in the new circuit, he pitched three innings and allowed two earned runs, three hits and a walk, with three strikeouts in 53 pitches.
In other words, he wasn’t perfect but kept his team in the game.
That’s all that matters.
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