Joe Girardi not surprised Bartolo Colon still pitching at 44

MINNEAPOLIS — The Yankees will face an old friend Tuesday night when Bartolo Colon takes the mound for the Twins.

Old in that Colon is a former Yankee and old in the sense that he is, well, old. Certainly in terms of baseball years: 44.

Colon went 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA for the Yankees in 2011, and Joe Girardi said he isn’t surprised that he’s still pitching. “I know it kind of defies logic, but Bartolo’s mechanics have always been pretty simple and his control has been really good,” he said. “He uses more pitches now than he did before, he uses his breaking ball and changeup more now than he did, but I’m not really surprised. I think to say anyone’s pitching at 44, you’re surprised, but if you were going to say someone was going to do it, I’m not surprised it’s Bartolo.”

Colon, 44-34 with a 3.90 ERA with the Mets in 2014-16, started 2017 with the Braves but was released on July 6 after going 2-8 with an 8.14 ERA. He signed a minor-league deal with the Twins a day later.

Tyler Clippard, a teammate of Colon’s with the Mets in 2015, said players marvel at his longevity. He added, “The ability to pitch into your 40s is something special. And the thing I was always impressed with, from afar and then being on his team, the command of his fastball. His ability to command the baseball was really impressive.”