Oakland Athletics’ starting pitcher Bartolo Colon fine after getting hit by line drive – MLB News
Oakland Athletics’ starting pitcher Bartolo Colon is now feeling much better after getting hit by a line drive as he was playing in his native country's Dominican Republic Winter League.
Colon was banned for 50 games by the Major League authorities when his elevated levels of testosterone tested positive in August this year.
To avoid potential playing time, he went on to play his country’s Winter League where he struck by a line drive during a tense match last weekend.
"He's fine, He took a ball off the chin, needed some stitches, but he's fine," agent Adam Katz said for Colon on his recent condition.
Earlier in the year, when he tested positive for a banned drug, he did state in the media via a statement released by the players' association, "I apologize to the fans, to my teammates and to the Oakland A's, I accept responsibility for my actions and I will serve my suspension as required by the joint drug program."
Later A’s General Manager Billy Beane said about Colon’s suspension and on his positive drug test, “It’s disappointing, We’re fortunate to have depth in starting pitcher and it’s time to rely on that depth.”
It was certainly a big shock to Athletics when they heard about Colon suspension as well as his involvement in Performance Enhancing Drugs or PED.
"It's a shock, He's a guy that we're definitely relying on right now. I guess you could say it's bad timing any time, especially now," Oakland reliever Grant Balfour said about Colon.
"The Oakland Athletics are disappointed to learn of today's suspension," the team said in a statement about Colon’s status then.
Colon is a good player and could have helped the Athletics in the post-season.
Despite playing not more 24 games, he still managed to achieve consistent stats. He finished 2012 Major League Baseball season with 3.43 ERA along with 10-9 win-loss, 91 strike-outs and 1.21 WHIP.
Though this is not a good record for 14-year old Major League veteran, but still he showed his team some extraordinary skills which make him a good role player in the side.
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