Royals’ Alex Gordon to Retire After 14 Years With Team

Alex Gordon will no longer play baseball once the 2020 season comes to an end. On Thursday, Gordon announced he will retire after playing in the Major Leagues for 14 years. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals No. 2 overall and made his MLB Debut in 2007. From there, Gordon went on to have a very successful MLB career.

Gordon played his entire 14-year career in Kansas City. In the team’s final series of the season, Gordon has the third-most walks (682), fourth-most homers (190), fifth-most doubles (357) and sixth-most games played (1,749) in team history. According to ESPN, Gordon has the team record for most hit by pitches. However, Gordon could get hits on his own, which led to him being named an all-star three times in his career. Gordon has been one of the best defensive players in his era, winning seven Gold Glove awards for the work he puts in while playing in the outfield.

However, Royals fans will never forget what he did in the 2015 World Series. In Game 1, Gordon hit a home run to send the game into extra innings. The Royals won in 14 innings and went on to win the World Series. Earlier this year, the Royals debuted a new series called Royals Rewind, and Gordon talked about the home run.

“Before I get started, a lot goes into facing a pitcher before you actually face him,” Gordon said in the video as reported by the Kansas City Star in March. “We do a whole scouting report on every pitcher. [ Jeurys] Familia was a big one, because he was the closer, had a lights-out postseason. Really hasn’t given up anything.”

Gordon continued: “I was on deck actually before I came to hit and he did a quick pitch to Salvy [Perez]. I think Salvy was before me, and I didn’t know about it. Out of all the scouting we did, I never saw it. I turned around to our hitting coach, who was Dale Sveum at the time, and he looked at me and was like, ‘Hey, be ready for the quick pitch.’” Gordon saw the quick pitch and the rest was history. Because Gordon’s numbers are not eye-popping, it’s likely he won’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, it’s very likely the Royals will honor him multiple times in the very near future.