ATLANTA (AP) – Bartolo Colon was having too much fun in his home debut with the Braves to be bothered by a home run in the second inning.
He had no reason to worry.
Colon allowed only a hit in seven dominant innings, Brandon Phillips drove in three runs with three hits and Atlanta beat the San Diego Padres 9-2 on Sunday for its fourth straight win.
“I’ve always tried to pitch relaxed and be in a good place when it’s my turn,” Colon said through a translator. “Like I tell everybody, the day it’s my turn to pitch is the happiest day of the week for me. I love it. I was just trying to be relaxed and have a good time out there.”
Colon (1-1) overpowered the Padres as he showed why he was given a $12.5 million, one-year contract in November.