Former MLB cult hero Bartolo Colón pitched complete game at 48 in a Mexican baseball league

• Bartolo Colón threw a complete game for the Acereros de Monclova of Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.
• Colón is 48 years old and returned to pitching this year for the first time since 2018.
• Colón is a four-time MLB All-Star and won the American League Cy Young Award in 2005.

Bartolo Colón just keeps hurling.

The former MLB All-Star threw a complete game on Sunday at 48 years of age in an independent league game in Mexico.

Colón used just 90 pitches, giving up two runs on five hits while recording five strikeouts and one walk. Colón's performance led Acereros de Monclova of Liga Mexicana de Beisbo to a 6-2 victory over Rieleros de Aguascalientes.

-Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) June 13, 2021

Colón played 21 seasons in MLB from 1997-2018, pitching for 11 different teams. Later in his career, Colón became a baseball cult hero for his pitching efficiency at an advanced age, despite being overweight for his 5'11 height at 285 lbs. His size and poise earned him the nickname "Big Sexy."

Colón's stupefying legacy came to a climax in 2016 when he hit his first career home run against the San Diego Padres at 43 years of age. The home run defied what seemed mathematically logical in baseball, as Colón had virtually no substantial hitting experience. He spent most of his career in the AL, where he didn't take at bats as a pitcher.

Now, Colón is continuing to defy time by pitching at a high level into his late 40s, even if it is for an independent Mexican league. Colón is reportedly looking to make an MLB return, according to The Associated Press.

"I'm not retired. That's not in my mind," Colón told The Associated Press in a phone interview in May 2020. "I'm still hoping of reaching my goal of pitching 46 innings. I'll sign with the first team who wants me."

Colón said his goal is to pitch 46 more MLB innings to surpass Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for the most innings pitched by a Dominican player with 3,505.

Colón made his return to baseball this year after spending 2019-2020 away from the game. He was initially supposed to play for Acereros de Monclova last year, but the Liga Mexicana de Beisbo was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But despite the impedance of the pandemic and his advancing age, Colón remains intent on continuing his career, proved he can still go deep into games on Sunday.