Baseball Birthdays This Weekend

Let's start on Friday the 24th with Bartolo Colon, a darned good pitcher with a somewhat goofy persona who starred for the Indians, Angels and Mets, winning 247 games over 21 big league seasons.   The Dominican native also holds the distinction of being the oldest player ever to hit his first career home run.   He was 16 days of turning 43 when he did it as Met against the Padres in 2015.  (See it for yourself here: 

With two 20-win seasons and the 2005 AL Cy Young Award to his credit, he would be a strong Hall of Fame candidate had he not also had a 2012 PED suspension on his report card.

Saturday's birthday circle is highlighted by Chris Young (below), who is a member of a unique club: a World Series winner as both a player and executive.  The tall, but oft-injured Texan won 79 games in his 13 year career, highlighted by being a rotation member on the 2015 World Champion Royals.  A Princeton grad, who worked in the baseball commissioner's office, he became the Rangers GM in 2020 -- who claimed the franchise's first title in its 63 seasons between DC and DFW.

Young shares May 25th with Hall of Famer Martin Dijigo and longtime big league infielders Miguel Tejada and Dave Hollins, as well as pitcher Michael King, who impressed with the 2023 Yankees before being sent to the Padres in last winter's Juan Soto deal.

Focusing on Sunday the 26th...

Ben Zobrist was not just Young's teammate on the 2015 Royals, but a vital player on the following season's champs, that Cubs team that snapped the franchise's 108 year championship drought.  On a roller-coaster night at Progressive Field, with the Cubs trying to pull away from the Indians, and Cleveland repeatedly battling back, Ben Zobrist delivered the biggest hit of the game.  His RBI double in the top of the 10th drove in Albert Almora Jr. with the go-ahead run.  Chicago then added another -- which proved so crucial when the Indians scored in the bottom of the inning.  The final score was 8-7 Cubs with Zobrist being named World Series MVP -- the only one in Cubs history.

Rounding out our first Holiday Weekend of the summer, the spotlight shines on Danny Young -- whose birthday is Monday, May 27th.  A journeyman lefthander who appeared in a couple of games for the Mets earlier this month, he was the winning pitcher in their May 2nd victory over the Cubs.  He got the last out in the top of the 10th and got credit for the victory when Francisco Lindor delivered his walk-off double in the bottom of the frame.
Now back with the Mets AAA team in Syracuse, Young shares May 27th with Hall of Famers Frank Thomas and Jeff Bagwell.


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