The man known as “Big Sexy” is a big personality in the baseball industry. However, that nickname may be actually even bigger than him. Ever since Bartolo Colon adopted the “Big Sexy” phrase, fans and teammates alike loved it and it became part of the culture of the sport. And it all started on the New York Mets.
The former Cy Young winner, the owner of a career 4.12 ERA, reveals in his upcoming book that the nickname was born when he was an active member of the New York Mets roster a few seasons ago.
Colon played for the Mets between 2014 and 2016, and even made it to the World Series in 2015, losing to the Kansas City Royals. In his biography “Big Sexy: In His Own Words,†he recalls that it was current Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard the one that dubbed him “Big Sexy†during the 2015 season.
“Noah Syndergaard just started calling me Big Sexy in 2015, and the name stuck,†Colon wrote, according to Newsday. “I don’t think I’m sexy, but if the fans like the name, I like it, too.â€
Another epic Colon moment with the Mets
Colon was a trending topic in social media this week because of the fourth anniversary of his first and only home run as a major leaguer, a scene that took place in San Diego in 2016 against James Shields. That was an epic moment, one that also happened when he was a member of the New York Mets.
The aforementioned book is expected to be released on May 12 according to the New York Post, and will cover Colon’s colorful 21-year tenure in the Major Leagues. Over that span, he played for the Cleveland Indians, Montreal Expos, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers in addition to the Mets.
The “Big Sexy” nickname was probably born in the clubhouse, but it really went viral when Syndergaard published an Instagram post of his entire family sporting Big Sexy T-Shirts with Colon’s face on them in December 2015. In 2016, Colon filed for a trademark on the popular nickname.