Thomas Gordon (born November 18, 1967), nicknamed "Flash," is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher and current radio color commentator for the Boston Red Sox. Gordon played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals (1988–1995), Boston Red Sox (1996–1999), Chicago Cubs (2001–02), Houston Astros (2002), Chicago White Sox (2003), New York Yankees (2004–05), Philadelphia Phillies (2006–2008), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2009). In 1998, he won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and led the American League (AL) in saves and games finished. In 1998–99, Gordon set a then-MLB record with 54 consecutive saves.
Early life
Gordon was one of several children born to Annie and Thomas Gordon. He was raised in abject poverty and his parents could not afford a telephone. Gordon attended Avon Park High School in Avon Park, Florida, and was a letterman in baseball. He was selected in the sixth round of the 1986 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. He received a $38,000 signing bonus.
Professional career
Kansas City Royals (1988–1995) Gordon began his career as a starting pitcher with the Kansas City Royals, first appearing in five games at the age of 20 late in the 1988 season. He became an immediate sensation in Kansas City the following year, posting a 17–9 record and a 3.64 ERA in his first full season, and he finished second in the 1989 Rookie of the Year balloting. Gordon also recorded 153 strikeouts in 1989, the tenth highest total in the American League, which earned him the nickname "Flash."
Gordon continued to post top-10 strikeout totals during the 1990 and 1991 seasons, but his number of wins dropped each year while his ERA crept upwards. Finally, in 1992 Gordon had one of the worst season of his career, posting a 6–10 record and a 4.59 ERA. He bounced back with seasons of 11 or 12 wins from 1993 to 1995, but he never quite regained his rookie form. Prior to the 1996 season, Gordon left Kansas City and signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox.
Boston Red Sox (1996–1999) In his first season in Boston, Gordon had a 12–9 record and a 5.59 ERA – the highest ERA of his career to that point. Over the next two years, however, the Red Sox converted Gordon from a starting pitcher to a closer and his career reignited. In 1998, Gordon set the club's single-season record for saves (46), with 43 of them in a row, 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 an ongoing 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 all of 2000 on the disabled list. His popularity in Boston at this point led New England–based writer and Red Sox fan Stephen King to reference him as the object of infatuation for the young protagonist of the 1999 novel The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.
Chicago Cubs (2001–2002) The Chicago Cubs, who were in the process of massively overhauling their pitching staff, signed Gordon to a two-year, $5 million contract on December 15, 2000.
Houston Astros (2002) On August 22, 2002, the Cubs, who had little interest in retaining Gordon as a closer after obtaining Antonio Alfonseca at the end of spring training, traded him to the Houston Astros in exchange for pitching prospect Russ Rohlicek and two players to be named later, later named as Travis Anderson and Mike Nannini. He was blocked from closing on his new team by bullpen staple Billy Wagner, as well as by setup man Octavio Dotel, but Gordon found his position as a middle reliever for Houston. After going 1–3 with a 3.02 ERA in 33 appearances between Chicago and Houston, Gordon's family sent him a bouquet to celebrate that he had closed the season in full health for the first time since 1999.