MLB

Unlikely survivor from a pitching generation

Ever find yourself clicking aimlessly through the archives of Cy Young Award voting results from the early 2000s, chuckling at forgotten names (Jon Lieber!) and eyes bugging at the otherwordly Pedro Martinez seasons? No, just me?

The generation of younger pitchers that populated these charts — along with a few guys named Maddux and Clemens and Johnson and Schilling — is now in its baseball winter. Roy Halladay retired Monday after posting a 6.82 ERA in 2013. Mark Prior, the one-time Cubs phenom, abandoned his comeback from a sad litany of arm injuries and announced his retirement at the age of 33 to pursue a front-office job.

Yankees stalwart Andy Pettitte and Chris Carpenter, their beards flecked with gray, had stepped away following the season.

Johan Santana, who turns 35 in March, continues to recover from a second surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his left shoulder, and though he is cool on an incentive-based return to the Mets, seems intent on pitching in the majors in 2014.

As does, miraculously, Mark Mulder, the former 21-game winner turned ESPN panelist who has not pitched in the majors since 2008 and last threw a full season in 2005. Mulder, still only 36, told ESPN he was inspired to launch a comeback by emulating the delivery of Dodgers reliever Paco Rodriguez (wait, who?). Mulder said his surgically repaired left shoulder feels great and his velocity is up to 90 mph.

Former A’s rotation-mate Tim Hudson was awarded a two-year, $23 million contract by the Giants, though he will be hurling at age 38 on an ankle that was gruesomely fractured this summer at Citi Field. Barry Zito, the final member of the Big Three for the Moneyball A’s, is marching to the beat of his own guitarist, with only vague plans to keep pitching after finishing up a ridiculed $126 million contract with the Giants.

And then there is 40-year-old Bartolo Colon, outlasting them all.

This guy pitched sparingly in 2008 and 2009, was out of the league in 2010, resurfaced with the Yankees in 2011 and had a 50-game PED suspension in 2012. But he pitched to a 2.65 ERA last season for the A’s, which matches precisely his (listed) weight. Many were speculating that put him in line for a one-year contract worth upwards of $10 million, but he may even get more.

No wonder the Mets were priced out on him. Maybe Mike Hampton would return to Queens.