Bartolo Colon, Robinson Cano among several former MLB stars to play in Dubai baseball league's first contest

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Baseball United, the first professional baseball league in west Asia, is underway in Dubai.

CEO Kash Shaikh got a bunch of current and future Hall of Famers on board as part owners, including Mariano Rivera, Barry Larkin and Adrian Beltre. And there are some former All-Stars in the lineups.

The league has rules that might make baseball purists' heads spin. If a home run is hit with a "money ball," double the runs are recorded.

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Bartolo Colon of the United East All-Stars pitches against the United West All-Stars during the Baseball United Showcase at Dubai International Stadium Nov. 24, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  (Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images for Baseball United)

But the league has plenty of familiar stars. 

Perhaps the biggest name in the league is Bartolo Colon, who, at the ripe age of 50, continues to be one of the most legendary figures in the sport.

Colon, the 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner, pitched in the All-Star Showcase, the league's first game, at Dubai International Stadium Friday.

He may be 50, but he was still touching low 80s with his fastball, even getting eight-time All-Star Robinson Cano to ground out.

Colon retired the side in order — Cano, Alejandro de Aza and Didi Gregorius — in his first inning of work.

Robinson Cano of the United West All-Stars is introduced prior to the Baseball United Showcase at Dubai International Stadium Nov. 24, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images for Baseball United)

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The league also features former big leaguers Pablo Sandoval,