Bartolo Colon’s back was hurting so he told the Nats he wasn’t swinging

Bartolo Colon had no plans to hit another home run on Monday night.

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Bartolo Colon had no plans to hit another home run on Monday night. 

One day before he turned 43, Colon was dealing with an issue typical of a guy his age. His back was acting up, so he decided he better not risk anything at the plate with one of his signature high-effort swings.

“I thought it wasn’t worth it to swing,” Colon said, according to the New York Post. “I swing at the balls pretty hard and I thought, ‘Not worth making my back worse,’ so I told their catcher from the beginning, ‘Just throw it right down the middle, [I’m] not swinging.’”

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The back didn’t affect Bart on the mound, though. He allowed just one run on five hits in seven innings and got his fourth win of the season. 

- Dan Gartland