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Tom Gordon

Philadelphia Phillies — No. 45
Relief pitcher
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
September 8, 1988 for the Kansas City Royals
Selected MLB statistics (through July 20, 2006)
Record	130-118
ERA	3.89
Strikeouts	1851
Former teams
Kansas City Royals (1988–1995) Boston Red Sox (1996-1999) Chicago Cubs (2001-2002) Houston Astros (2002) Chicago White Sox (2003) New York Yankees (2004-2005) Philadelphia Phillies (2006-present)

Thomas Gordon (born November 18, 1967 in Sebring, Florida), nicknamed Flash, is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. Previously, he played with the Kansas City Royals (1988–95), Boston Red Sox (1996–99), Chicago Cubs (2001–02), Houston Astros (2002), Chicago White Sox (2003) and the New York Yankees (2004–05). He signed a three-year deal worth $18 million with the Phillies before the 2006 season.

Contents 1 High school career 2 Major League Baseball Career 3 Career Stats 4 Highlights 5 Trivia 6 External links

Gordon attended Avon Park High School in Avon Park, Florida, and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball.

Gordon started his career as a Royal, and was signed away by Boston where he was converted from a starter to a closer. In 1998, Gordon set the club's single-season saves record (46) and was named to his first All-Star Team. His success continued in 1999 setting a major league record with his 54th consecutive save in June, but a nagging elbow injury limited him to just 21 appearances, which required ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (or UCL) also known as Tommy John surgery, that forced him to spend 2000 on the disabled list.

After stops in Houston and both sides of Chicago, Gordon landed in New York. He was an invaluable addition to the Yankees bullpen, serving as a set-up for closer Mariano Rivera, or as a middle reliever in tough situations. During the 2004 ALCS, he was so unnerved by the series, that he was totally ineffective, even throwing up in the bullpen during and before games.

Basically, Gordon is a 95 mph fastball thrower and his success is tied to when and how often he uses his excellent curve. In the past two seasons, Gordon has made increasingly effective use of a power cut fastball and slider.

Gordon has compiled a career 122-111 record with 1733 strikeouts, a 3.99 ERA, 114 saves, and 1896.2 innings in 671 games (203 as a starter).

Now in Philadelphia with the Phillies, Gordon returns to the closer role, replacing Billy Wagner, who signed with the Mets rather quickly into the 2005 offseason. Gordon has quickly become a local celeb in the city of Philadelphia and even has his own fan group known as Flash's Followers, a group of men who dress in superhero costumes.

Tom Gordon was also named to the 2006 NL All Star Team as the leading vote getter from the players.

last updated on October 16, 2006

Appearances - 809

Wins - 130

Losses - 119

Innings Pitched - 2036.7

ERA - 3.91

Complete Games - 18

Shutouts - 4

Saves - 150

Strikeouts - 1,870

Walks - 944

• Three-time All-Star (1998, 2004, 2006)
• Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award (1998)
• Led AL in saves (1998)
• Led AL in games finished (69, 1998)
• Set a MLB record with 54 consecutive saves (1998-99)
• Led AL in Holds (36) 2004

• Gordon is also known by his unique signal after striking out a batter; he points towards God to show his appreciation. [1]
• He was referenced as the object of infatuation for the young protagonist of the 1999 Stephen King novel The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.
• Whenever he takes to the field for a Phillies' home game, the theme song from the Flash Gordon movie (sung by Queen) is played.

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
• Baseball Library
• ESPN profile and daily stats
• The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (review)
• Tom Gordon - stats, news, and information from AroundtheDiamond.com