With a nickname like "Big Sexy," it was only a matter of time before Bartolo Colon got embroiled in some off-field controversy.
The Mets pitcher is currently involved in quite the scandal as a lawsuit was brought against him in Manhattan by a woman who revealed he privately had two children with her and didn't pay any child support.
Colon, who is married and has four children with his wife of 21 years, was taken to court by Alexandra Santos, 38, of Washington Heights, Queens. Santos claims the pitcher, who makes $7 million a year and has amassed over $100 million in his MLB career, is a deadbeat dad to their kids, according to the New York Post.
"Mr. Colon obviously is a very talented baseball player and he earns a significant income, and we believe that his children should share in the lifestyle they would have enjoyed had their parents remained together," Santos' attorney Evan Schein told The Post.
While he's able to fool hitters with his pitches, Colon's public undoing came at the hands of his own short-sightedness.
The 5-foot-11, 285-pound pitcher was granted anonymity by the judge in this case, but his cover was blown when he briefly represented himself and was listed as the attorney in the case, according to The Post.
The right-hander has never publicly acknowledged the 7-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son he secretly had with Santos, but his wife, Rosanna, with whom he has four sons, apparently knew about everything before the Anonymous v. Anonymous cover was blown.
"I can't talk about that," Rosanna said in Spanish via the Post. "This is personal and not something I want to talk about."
Colon is the oldest active pitcher in baseball at age 42 and captivated the baseball landscape by becoming the oldest player to hit his first-career home run earlier this month in San Diego. His double life certainly isn't on par with his reputation of being a fan favorite and great clubhouse guy for the Mets.
The hefty pitcher was in court with Santos on Monday and is set to return there next month.
Colon is 3-2 this season with a 3.50 ERA and is the projected started pitcher Wednesday night when the Mets play the division rival Nationals at Citi Field with first place in the NL East on the line.
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