Christian Colon was designated for assignment by the Royals and has been claimed on waivers by the Miami Marlins. But he will not be forgotten in Kansas City.

 

Christian Colon – Part 1: I will miss Christian Colon. He provided two of the most dramatic moments in Royals history and arguably has the most unique statistical record in post-season play. From Baseball Reference:

 

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Series	Opp	Rslt	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
2014	25	KCR	AL	ALWC	OAK	W	1	2	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000	1	0	0	1	0	0
2014	25	KCR	AL	ALCS	BAL	W	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0					0		0	0
2015 ❍	26	KCR	AL	WS	NYM	W	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000	1	0	0	0	0	0
2 Yrs (3 Series)							3	3	2	2	2	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000	2	0	0	1	0	0
1 ALWC							1	2	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000	1	0	0	1	0	0
1 ALCS							1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0					0		0	0
1 WS							1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000	1	0	0	0	0	0

Yes, his perfect playoff batting average of 1.000 is based on only two official at bats. But my, what at bats. Note that his slugging percentage and OPS are also in the stratosphere.

In 2014, the Royals played the AL wild card game against Oakland at Kauffman Stadium. After being down by four runs, the Royals fought back and tied the game in the 9^th at 7-7. In the 10^th, Colon pinch hit for Terrance Gore who had pinch run earlier for DH Billy Butler. Colon had a successful sacrifice and stayed on in the DH slot. In the top of the 12^th, Oakland scored a run to go ahead 8-7. In the bottom of the 12^th, Eric Hosmer worked his way to third, and Colon came to the plate. He hit a chopper toward third that went for a hit and Hosmer scored to tie the game. Colon then stole second and scored the winning run on a hit by Salvador Perez. It was the first Royals playoff win in 29 years.

[Oakland Trivia: Five of the eight runs for Oakland came on two home runs by Brandon Moss, current DH for the Royals.]

Colon made the 2015 World Series roster, but came to the plate only one time – in the top of the 12^th against the Mets in Game 5 at Citi Field. The game was tied 2-2. Jarrod Dyson was on second base, pinch running for Perez. Colon lined a single to score Dyson with the go-ahead run. The Royals scored another four, Wade Davis shut the Mets down in the bottom of the 12^th, and the Royals were World Champions.

Then there was a parade. Thank you Christian.

 

Christian Colon – Part 2: I will miss Christian Colon. Because of what he did off the field.

For several years, Rita and I have been involved in the charitable missions of Bishop Sullivan Center. Director Tom Turner and his staff and volunteers provide for those in need in so many ways: two food pantries, a community kitchen, employment services, emergency assistance, mattresses, air conditioners, winter clothes, etc. The outreach to the community is beyond impressive.

A long-time supporter of the Center was Billy Butler of the Royals. His “Hit It A Ton” campaign and other promotions raised substantial funds for the Center. But Billy was lost to free agency after the 2014 season.

Enter Christian Colon. Just as he had moved into Billy Butler’s DH slot in the lineup in the 2014 wild card game, he followed in Billy’s place at Bishop Sullivan Center. Christian and his wife Kayla established a “Go 2 Bat 4 Others” program (his uniform number is 24). One of the initial missions of the program was to ask kids to participate in mini food drives, and the kids were then treated to a pancake breakfast attended by Royals players. The photo below is from the 2015 breakfast (with my grandson Ian).

Christian and Kayla have participated in many of the missions of the Center. The major annual fund raiser involves silent and live auctions, and Royals memorabilia and activities arranged by Christian have been a big part of the auctions. One of the key issues for the working poor is transportation, and this video of Christian and Kayla giving a car to a working mother is priceless (three minutes).

Christian also helped with the distribution of shoes to kids in the Operation Heart and Sole campaign:

And here are Christian and Kayla serving in the community kitchen, joined by County Executive Frank White, a fellow second baseman. Director Tom Turner likes to call this “seconds serving seconds.”

One of the most poignant memories of Colon in Kansas City came on the Sunday that we all learned of the death of Yordano Ventura. Colon and Danny Duffy were at the stadium all day to console fans who came to pay their respects. That night, Colon, Duffy and Ian Kennedy participated in the candlelight vigil at the stadium.

When it was announced that Colon was leaving the Royals, Danny Duffy sent this tweet:

And below is Christian Colon’s farewell tweet to Kansas City. Class.

Thank you Christian.

 

 

 

 

Coming Hot Stove Attractions: Rita and I are off to New York next Wednesday for our annual binge of Broadway shows. We also have a 5-stop baseball stadium tour in California in June. This may slow down Hot Stove reporting (should you need the break), but several items are percolating: The Simpsons and the Hall of Fame; Einstein and baseball; best all-time catcher (Bench, Josh Gibson, Berra, Campanella, Pudge, Fisk…??); Dizzy Dean/Beer Advertising; women reporters in the locker room; and more. Thanks to all of you signing up for Hot Stove.

 

Movie Note: One of the films we saw last year at Telluride last year has finally arrived in Kansas City. Opening today is Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer. It is a small Richard Gere movie with quirks and turns that we very much enjoyed.