Bartolo Colon’s ageless charm recently proved to be too much for one of his new teammates on the Texas Rangers.
In an appearance on “The Ben and Skin Show” on 105.3 The Fan, Rangers first baseman Joey Gallo told a funny story about how he accidentally called Colon by his famous “Big Sexy” nickname … in the middle of a play. The 24-year-old was manning first with a runner on during a recent Colon start against the Oakland Athletics when a groundball was hit his way.
“I missed [first base], actually,” said Gallo, according to SportsDay. “I was trying to find it, the runner beat the throw, but I was actually – in the heat of the moment – I threw it [to second base] and I turned around and Bartolo is already kind of running over and he’s close to the base, and I was saying, ‘I got it Big Sexy. I got it.’ And I was actually calling him Big Sexy on accident. I don’t know why, it just came out. That’s just what I call him.
“So, I was saying, ‘I got it Big Sexy. I got it Big Sexy. Don’t worry.’ He peeled off and let me get it, but the guy was safe anyway,” Gallo continued. “But I was thinking in my head, I was like, ‘Damn, I was calling him Big Sexy. I don’t know if I should do that in the middle of a play.'”
The 44-year-old Colon is in his first season with the Rangers (and 21st season overall), and it is obvious that his reputation as the legendary Big Sexy very much precedes him. You can’t really blame Gallo for the funny slip-up either, seeing as the moniker is so iconic that it has even inspired its own apparel.
