MLB

Colon’s gem for Yankees spoiled by Rivera

BALTIMORE — When the Yankees drew up their pitching wish-list last winter, there’s a good chance Bartolo Colon’s name did not appear anywhere on it. He was a fallback option to their fallback options.

But guess who has a better ERA than Cliff Lee or Felix Hernandez or practically anyone else Yankees fans fantasize about?

Colon, the 37-year-old former Cy Young winner, pitched another gem last night, lowering his ERA to 3.16, but Yankees manager Joe Girardi pulled him after the eighth inning despite Colon throwing just 87 pitches.

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“Bartolo Colon threw a classic,” third baseman Alex Rodriguez said after the Yankees’ 4-1, 15-inning win over the Orioles last night at Camden Yards.

But Colon was left with a tough no-decision when Mariano Rivera blew the save.

The portly pitcher threw a gem at Camden Yards, sitting down 13 straight Orioles at one point, throwing a 95-mph fastball and mixing in a pretty nasty slider. He struck out seven, gave up three hits and walked one in eight innings.

“That’s my best game so far,” Colon said through an interpreter. “I thank God the way I’m pitching right now. I wish I continue to pitch that way.”

Colon’s most impressive inning might have been his last. He struck out Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy, both on called strikes on 94- and 95-mph fastballs, respectively, for two quick outs. He walked Mark Reynolds, who then stole second base and advanced to third on a errant throw by catcher Francisco Cervelli.

With the tying run 90 feet from home plate, Colon struck out Robert Andino to end the inning.

Colon had been efficient and had a 1-0 lead, but Girardi called on Rivera to close out the game. The decision blew up on him when Rivera blew the save.

“I was feeling really good, but that’s the manager’s decision,” Colon said. “We have the best closer in the game, so there’s nothing I can do.”

The Orioles struggled to touch Colon all night. He gave up two hits in the second inning, then sat down the next 13 batters. The Orioles got a runner to third base three times against Colon, but he escaped each time. In the second, he made a beautiful play on a line drive back at him by Hardy, then wheeled and threw it to first base to double off Wieters.

Outings like this are becoming commonplace for Colon, who has gone 2-1 since replacing Phil Hughes in the starting rotation. In six starts, he has had only one truly bad outing.

Colon remains under investigation by Major League Baseball for the stem-cell procedure he had in the Dominican Republic last year. He has not let it bother him, though, and he has had two strong performances since the investigation was announced.

brian.costello@nypost.com