Bartolo Colon is moving up in the world.
The Mets pitcher — who hadn’t gotten a hit in nine years before delivering a double against the Cardinals last month — batted eighth on Thursday, after manager Terry Collins saw no other spot for him in the lineup.
Colon finished 0-for-3 and left two runners on base in the Mets’ 3-1 loss to the Braves.
Collins has batted Jacob deGrom eighth on a semi-regular basis and experimented with Jon Niese in that spot, but Colon’s elevation came as a surprise. The manager had previously indicated Colon was not a pitcher he would consider batting eighth.
But Eric Young Jr.’s strong career numbers against Braves right-hander Aaron Harang, coupled with Curtis Granderson’s success in the leadoff spot, left Collins wanting Colon eighth on Thursday.
“Eric Young is a get-on-base kind of a guy, create some runs for you,” Collins said before the game. “If he’s not leading off there’s only one other place to hit him and it’s not in front of the pitcher. So he’s got to hit ninth or he’s got to lead off.
“Did I grapple with it? When I saw those numbers, this guy [Young] is 5-for-9 with four base on balls against Aaron Harang. In 13 plate appearances he’s been on nine times. He’s going to play, so I didn’t grapple very long.”
Young Jr. finished 1-for-3 and scored the Mets’ only run.