5 years ago, Bartolo shocked the world

Five years ago today, as Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen famously put it: "The impossible has happened." Bartolo Colon, a 42-year-old pitcher, hit a home run -- leaving much of the world in disbelief.

Almost as soon as he put on an orange-and-blue uniform, Colon -- with his must-see at-bats and wondrous joy of playing -- developed a cult following, both inside and outside the game of baseball. Mets fans developed an especially strong connection with the man who became known as Big Sexy.

Because it was such a captivating moment, we decided to ask Mets fans where they were and how they reacted when the homer happened half a decade ago. They, of course, remembered it fondly. Here are some of the responses we received.

A Message From Mom

I was just getting back from dinner with a friend at college. My mom texted asking if we were watching the game and that Bart was incredible. We pulled it up on our phones and were pretty sure of what we'd see.

We just yelled and high fived, probably hugged, and watched it a few more times. Truly one of those moments in sports you'll remember forever.

Yelling In A Movie Theater

I got the update and started shouting to my friends across the theater. Safe to say, [the theatergoers] were not happy with me as I was yelling across the theater. Worth it.

Better Than Graduating College

I was in the car with my parents, somewhere between Massachusetts and New Jersey, on a road trip back home hours following my college graduation.

I remember sitting there silently for a long minute, not believing what Howie Rose just said. Just pure incredulity. Then there was a lot of yelling and a race to Twitter to find the video proof. It undoubtedly trumped college graduation as my fondest memory from that day.

At the Game

My wife and I jumped up and watched it fly. In the photo, you can see us as he rounds the base. I had taken my hat off to honor Bart. It’s by far our greatest Mets memory. At the time, we were both active duty Navy Sailors living in SD. We attended all 4 games that series.

Coming Back From a Music Festival

I was in the passenger seat of my Subaru on I-89, while my now ex-boyfriend was driving a car full of my friends home to Boston from a music festival in Vermont.

The car vetoed me turning on the audio feed of the game, but when the MLB push notification of the homer popped up on my phone, my initial scream was followed by, "I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS!" Then I watched the video multiple times. I screamed at least three times.

Driving the Car

I was driving, streaming the radio broadcast via the MLB app.

I had to make sure I didn’t drive into the next lane. Then a lot of excited yelling. I was alone, so luckily I could be as crazy as I wanted without causing an accident.

Abroad in The U.K.

It happened overnight while I was sleeping because of the time zone and I remember waking up in the morning and watching every single clip and angle of the home run over and over again. I didn’t get out of bed for an hour.

Umpiring

I was in Treasure Island (San Francisco) umpiring a Little League game. There was a pitching change and I announced it to the whole field.

At Home In Brazil

I was at my home in Rio de Janeiro, watching via MLB.TV on my iPad. A very large smile took over my face and, if I remember correctly, even a couple tears of joy may have dropped.

Working in A Restaurant

I was working in the kitchen of a fancy restaurant. The bartender came into the back in hysterics. Unable to speak. After work, we watched Gary’s call probably thirty times. We still celebrate every year.

With Dad

I was sitting at home with my dad, nothing out of the usual. We heard Bartolo get up to bat and I remember saying to my dad “the next Triple Crown winner right here,” and then, to our surprise, he hit that homer. We were screaming on the top of our lungs!

In College

I was at the University of Scranton (sophomore year). It was the day of our spring concert, and a band came to campus. I spent the entire night dancing and screaming “Bart! Bart! Bart!”

A Family Affair

I was at home eating dinner with my family. My parents and I were eating dinner and watching the game from the table. When we saw the ball hit and heard Gary’s voice, we immediately all stood up watching the ball to see if it was going to go out. When it was a home run, we all began jumping and screaming! Never gonna forget that.

(Thanks to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo for additional help with this story)