Bartolo Colon pitched against Cody Bellinger 17 years after facing Cody's dad, Clay

Bartolo Colon has been a presence in baseball since 1997. Distinguished careers have started and ended, all while the burly right-hander kept pitching. The amusing byproduct of spending 20 years in the Majors, however, is that the next generation is now around to face Colon.

For example, take Cody Bellinger . On Monday night at Dodger Stadium, Colon took the mound for the Twins and faced the up-and-coming star in the second inning. He triumphed by inducing a fly ball to left field:

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Hey, if Colon can get Aaron Judge out, then he has the ability to retire Bellinger, too, even at age 44. Colon retired him again in his second at-bat on a fly ball to right field. He departed with a no-decision after five innings of three-run ball, though Bellinger had the last laugh, as his three-run homer in the eighth led the Dodgers to a 6-4 win.

It wasn't the first time Colon battled a Bellinger, either. Back on Sept. 18, 2000, he spun an absolute gem against the Yankees, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning and finishing with a sterling 13 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout. One of the unlucky Yankees to face him that night was Clay Bellinger, who went 0-for-2 against Colon, just as his son fared 17 years later.

Two other father/son combinations have faced Colon -- Prince and Cecil Fielder, and Eric Young Jr. and Sr. Both Twins manager Paul Molitor and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had experience at the plate against Colon, as well. These facts are a true testament to Colon's impressive longevity.

Give yourself a hand, Bart.

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