Colon plans to pitch in 2018: 'I'm not going anywhere'

Don't start writing those Bartolo Colon tributes just yet.

Colon, the oldest player in the majors, experienced a second-half revival of sorts with the Minnesota Twins following his disastrous start to the season in Atlanta. He finished his strange 2017 season Sunday with a solid start against the Detroit Tigers, allowing just one run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings of work.

Though his exit from the game was treated as a potential career-ending moment - Twins fans gave Colon a standing ovation, and he received on-field congratulations from Tigers first base coach and former Indians teammate Omar Vizquel - the 44-year-old former Cy Young Award winner has no plans to hang 'em up anytime soon.

"(Vizquel) said (to me), 'I saw you pitch the first time and now I saw you pitch the last time,'" Colon told reporters, according to Mike Berardino of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press. "Maybe he's talking about himself not coming back because I'm not going anywhere."

Colon added that his goal is to pitch at least until the age of 45 in order to make good on a promise he made to his mother Adriana, who died in 2014.

Colon experienced multiple highs and lows during his 20th big-league season, split between the Twins and Braves. After a dreadful start caused him to be cut by Atlanta, Colon resurfaced in Minnesota and posted a 3.94 ERA over his first 10 starts. In August, he even became the oldest American League pitcher in 25 years to toss a complete game.

While he's now headed for free agency, Colon was quick to express interest in returning to the Twins next season.

"If they want me back, I would love to be back," Colon said. "I feel very happy. I've seen how everybody welcomed me here: the coaches, the manager, my teammates, the fans. It's awesome. It's been a great experience here.”