PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Bartolo Colon understands his cult-like status with the Mets. He hears it on the radio on the way home to Clifton, New Jersey, after games. Once, he remembered callers discussing his flying batting helmet — a fan favorite — after unleashing one of his pretzel-like baseball swings.
It’s part of why Colon spurned better money elsewhere to sign a new free-agent deal with the Mets.
“It’s family here,” Colon said through a translator. “All these guys are my family. They’ve treated me well. Not just them but also the big bosses around here too.