Table of Content
- 2014 World Series Game 7: single with shenanigans in the top of the ninth against San Francisco
- Must C: Gordon's clutch home run
- Alex Gordon Bio
- Awards
- August 1, 2007: go-ahead home run in the top of the tenth against Minnesota
- Honorable mention: August 8, 2019: go-ahead home run HR against Detroit
- Gordon Hits MLB Season's Record 5,694th Home Run
Following a broken thumb suffered in Spring Training, Gordon began the 2010 season on a minor league rehab assignment with Class-A Advanced Wilmington. He was demoted to the minor leagues in May, where he played left field. Gordon had been hitting .194 before his demotion, and many considered this demotion to indicate that Gordon was running out of chances with the Royals.
Gordon then went out to take his position in left field in the top of the second before being pulled back to the dugout and replaced by Franchy Cordero. Overall with the 2020 Kansas City Royals, Gordon batted .209 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 50 games. On July 8, 2015, against the Tampa Bay Rays, Gordon was injured attempting to chase down a fly ball hit by Logan Forsythe, which resulted in an inside-the-park home run as Gordon could not get back up. After being carted off the field, he was diagnosed with a left groin strain and was placed on the injured list.
2014 World Series Game 7: single with shenanigans in the top of the ninth against San Francisco
Topps issued Gordon's rookie card prematurely, as only players on 25-man rosters or who have played in at least one Major League game are eligible. As a result, Topps stopped producing the card and cut holes in some of the existing cards. Examples that found their way into retail stores have garnered bids in the thousands of dollars on eBay.
Gordon won eight Gold Glove Awards, four Fielding Bible Awards, and a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award, all after the move to the outfield. On January 22, 2020, he signed a one-year, $4 million contract to remain with the Royals for the 2020 season. On September 24, Gordon announced that he would retire from baseball at the conclusion of the 2020 season. His final career game was on September 27 against the Detroit Tigers, and received one at-bat in which he struck out to lead off the bottom of the first inning, his first leadoff appearance since April 2017.
Must C: Gordon's clutch home run
At Nebraska, Gordon won the Brooks Wallace Award, Dick Howser Trophy, and Golden Spikes Award in 2005. That year, the Royals selected Gordon with the second overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft. Gordon made his major league debut in 2007 as a third baseman, but had an inconsistent beginning to his career. In 2010, the Royals demoted Gordon to the minor leagues for a substantial period of time, and moved Gordon from third base to the outfield. He returned to the Royals later that season as a full-time outfielder, and his play improved substantially. A member of the Royals' 2015 World Series championship team, Gordon signed a four-year free agent contract that offseason to remain with the team.
Ross Gload struck out to lead off the top of the tenth inning. Emil Brown, who had pinch-ran for Butler earlier in the game, then singled. After a Mark Teahen strikeout, Gordon stepped to the plate with two outs. Twins’ reliever Juan Rincon tossed a 1-1 pitch to Gordon, who hammered it to right-center field for a go-ahead bomb. He is one of Major League Baseball’s greatest left fielders, ever, having won seven Gold Gloves at the position. He is a three-time All-Star who received MVP votes in two separate seasons.
Alex Gordon Bio
It was also the first game-tying or go-ahead homer in the ninth inning or later of Game 1 of the World Series since Kirk Gibson's iconic shot off Dennis Eckersley in 1988. April 3, 2010 Kansas City Royals placed 3B Alex Gordon on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26, 2010. September 1, 2015 Kansas City Royals activated LF Alex Gordon from the 15-day disabled list.
Of course, this was 2008, and Mark Grudzielanek hit into a routine ground ball double play to end the game down 8-7. In a back-and-forth game against the White Sox, the Royals were able to come back multiple times. Though the tenth inning was problematic, the 11th was particularly exciting. In the top half, AJ Pierzynski hit a ball to deep left-center field, allowing Joe Creed to score easily. Unfortunately, Esteban German unkorked a wild through that allowed Alexei Ramirez to score as well. He finished the regular season with a .271 batting average/.377 on-base percentage/.432 slugging percentage with 18 doubles, 13 home runs, and 48 RBIs.
Awards
During his time at the University of Nebraska, Gordon was a member of the 2004 United States national baseball team, which included players from 15 different colleges. He helped lead Team USA to an 18–7 overall record, seeing the majority of his playing time at first base. The Royals placed Gordon on the 15-day disabled list on August 23 because of a torn muscle in his right quadriceps. He would not return to Kansas City until September 12, although he did hit .311 in the month of September.
Gordon, the longest-tenured Royals player, stepped in against Familia with Kansas City trailing by a run with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Quick pitch could have a long-lasting effect on this World Series. April 24, 2018 Kansas City Royals activated LF Alex Gordon from the 10-day injured list. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only.
The home run average dropped in 2014 to its lowest level since 1992, then started rising during the second half of the 2015 season. "I don't know what to make of it," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Guys are bigger and guys are stronger. but so are the pitchers. There sure are a lot of home runs being hit." On February 9, 2012, Gordon signed a one-year, $4.775 million deal with the Royals to avoid arbitration. In the process, Gordon filed for $5.45, while the Royals countered with $4.15. Under the Royals' agreement, he could have earned an additional $25K if he had reached 700 plate appearances, putting him at the original midpoint.
Similarly, cWPA measures the effect of events on the results of the World Series win probability; cWPA figures are lower, as it measure the probability of the result of an entire series. Since pitches with a higher spin rate tend to stay up in the zone longer, the pitch stayed in Gordon's sweet spot rather than fading toward the left fielder's knees. Familia entered the game not having blown a save since July 30, and he'd only allowed one home run in that span during the regular season.
Down 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, Rick Ankiel and Willie Bloomquist at the corners, and a 1-0 count, Gordon came through. Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon tossed a mistake pitch up in the zone. He sent it into the home bullpen, ending the game 7-5 in favor of the Boys in Blue. The uptick in home runs began in the second half of 2015 and led to much speculation as to what has caused the barrage of home runs.
Alex Presley of the Detroit Tigers tied the mark shortly before with his fifth-inning homer off Oakland Athletics pitcher Daniel Gossett. The second-largest hit by cWPA throughout the Royals’ two-year playoff run, this is one of the most memorable hits by any player in recent World Series history. Someday there will be a statue of it in Kauffman Stadium—as there should.
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