MINNEAPOLIS _ Bartolo Colon stopped at the first-base coach's box to hug an old pal _ Tigers coach Omar Vizquel, his teammate in Cleveland two decades ago _ then raised his glove to acknowledge the standing ovation from Twins fans for the final act of his 20th major-league season.
Then again, maybe his season isn't over.
Colon allowed only three hits and just one run over 6 1/3 innings, a performance that helped deliver the Twins' 85th victory of the season, 5-1 over the Tigers, and also gave manager Paul Molitor and the Twins' front office something to think about if they have to assemble a roster for an AL Division Series later this week.
The Twins used their 2017 regular-season finale, delayed 40 minutes by light rain, mostly for staying sharp for Tuesday's wild-card game in New York, with most starters getting three at-bats. But for Colon, the game may have served as an audition for a potential postseason start _ or at least a chance to reassure the Twins that he's up to it.
"It's a good chance for him to end the regular season on a positive note and feel good about what he's doing with the baseball," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We'll see how it unfolds. Obviously we have to win Tuesday to keep him in the conversation."
With a 13.50 ERA in his last four starts, Colon was in danger of not being a part of whatever awaits the Twins in their first postseason in seven seasons. And it's possible he's not in their plans anyway. But there are scenarios in which the popular 44-year-old gets a start if the Twins advance to a series with Cleveland, Colon's original team: If, for instance, Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios both pitch multiple innings in the wild-card game, Colon might be in line for a Game 2 start.
"It would be a good question to have to answer," Molitor hedged before the game.
Colon, though, looked like a postseason pitcher on Sunday, albeit against a last-place, 98-loss Tigers team that earned the overall No. 1 pick in next June's draft with the loss. He never faced more than four batters in an inning, walked only one batter, struck out four, and if not for Alex Presley bouncing a ball off the top of the wall in right field for a homer, would have left with a shutout intact.
Meanwhile, the Twins proceeded to put together a couple of good innings against Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez. Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer hit back-to-back doubles to open the bottom of the first inning, and Jason Castro singled home a couple more runs in the fourth. Castro clubbed his 10th homer of the season in the sixth inning off reliever Blaine Hardy, too, giving the Twins nine different players in double digits. And fellow catcher Chris Giminez ended the scoring in the eighth with the first pinch-hit homer of his career.
Gimenez was hitting for Miguel Sano, who went 0-for-3 in his second start since returning with a stress reaction, grounding out twice and striking out once. Sano's status for the playoffs is uncertain, too, though Molitor said Saturday he is leaning toward putting the slugger on the roster.
The Twins drew 28,148 in the season finale, giving them a total attendance of 2,051,279, an increase of 87,367 over last season, which was their worst ever in Target Field's eight seasons. Minnesota averaged 25,641 per game over 80 dates, an increase of 1,396 over last year but 21st overall in the majors.
